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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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Motto: ' 'Fishers of Men. 



Lessons in Soul-Winning, 



WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO 



HOUSE TO HOUSE VISITATION. 



ByE.H. kellar, 

* t 

Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance and Sunday-school 
Union of St. Louis. 




r^v77"77 - 



ST. LOUIS, mo.: J v ' / w > J 
CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY. 

1895. 



The Library 

Oft COW :W ESS 






Copyrighted, 1893, by 
E. H. KELLAR. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Introductory. 


_ _ 


6 






PART I. 






THE 


WORK EXPLAINED. 




Lesson 1 


Outlined. 


The Initiatory Step 


13 


" 2 




Delicacy of the Work 


18 


" 3 




The (House) Home 


21 


<< 4 




How to Gain Access — House-to- 








House - 


23 


" 5 




How to Use the Cards 


26 


" 6 




How to Consider the Poor— the Rich 42 


(i n 




How to Approach the Unsaved - 


45 


8 




Concerning the Parents 


48 


" 9 




The Young People - 


51 


" 10 




The Children - 


53 


" 11 




The Foreigner - 


56 


" 12 




The Negro - 


59 


" 13 




The Roomer— Boarder 


60 


u 14 




God's Plan - • 


63 


" 15 




The Fraternity Settlement 
PART II. 


66 


THE WORKER QUALIFIED AND EQUIPPED. 








I. Qualified. 




Lesson 1 


Outlined. 


Confidence - 


73 


11 2 




Courtesy - 


78 


3 




Consecration - 


7S 


4 




Incentives - 


80 


" 5 




Opportunity and Adaptability 


84 


" 6 




Prayer -.-.-- 


86 


" 7 




Personal Cautions 
(3) 


88 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 





II. Equipped. 




Lesson 8 Outlined. 
" 9 
cc 10 
cc n 

" 12 
" 13 


Knowledge of the Scriptures 
Knowledge of Mankind 
What Sin Is - 
Know Doctrines 
Judgment - - - 
Principles of Imparting Faith 


- 90 
92 

- 94 
97 

- 101 
103 



PART III. 

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

Lesson 1 Outlined. The Kingdom as Described by 

Jesus - - - 107 

" 2 " How the Apostles Made Disciples 110 

" 3 " Organization - - 113 

" 1 " The Visible and Local Congrega- 

tion - - - 118 

' « 5 ' ' Things Done to Build Up the Con- 

gregation - - 120 

1 ( (6 " Relations of Congregations to Each 

Other - 122 

PART IV. 

DISOBEDIENCE EXAMINED. 

Introduction to Part IV. - - - - 127 

Section A.— The Superficial. 

1. Lack of Deep Conviction - - - - 128 

2. •< Still a Little Skeptical" - - - 129 

3. "Wait Until a More Convenient Time - - 130 

4. Love of Ease 132 

5. Not "Called" Yet 132 

6. Cantroversial Spirit 134 

7. "Won't Believe what I do not Understand" - 134 

Section B.— The Apostate. 

8. (1) "Cannot Hold Out" 137 

9. (2) "Tried Without Success" - - - 138 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



10. (3) Inconsistencies of Christians - - 140 

11. (4) " Too Great a Sinner" - - - - 140 

Section C— The Bewildered. 

12. (1) The Superstitious - 143 

13. (2) Spiritual Blindness— Ignorance - - 14 4 

14. (3) Too Great Regard for Human Traditions - 145 

Section D.— Commending Themselves. 

Love of Praise - - • - -148 

Fear of Man L48 

Not Willing to Leave Impenitent Associates - 149 

"Don't Like the Messenger" - - 150 

Insincerity - - - - - - 151 

Section E.— Foes Within and Without. 

Too Many Things to Give Up - 153 

Pride of Birth - - - - - 154 

"Too Smart" ----- 155 

"Love of the World" - 155 

Love of Money ----- 156 

"Cares of the W r orld" - - - - 157 

"Don't Want Sins Exposed - 153 

Murmuring Spirit - - - - - 153 

Section F.— The Self-Righteous. 

(1) "Don't Want to Confess Christ" - - 160 

(2) "Don't Want to be Baptized" - - - 162 

Section G.— Many Infallible Proofs for the 
Unbelievers. 

(1) Theories of Infidelity - 165 

(2) Internal Evidences • - 171 

(3) External Evidences - 176 



15. 


(1) 


16. 


(2) 


17. 


(3) 


18. 


(4) 


19. 


(5) 


20. 


(1) 


21. 


(2) 


22. 


(3) 


2:j. 


(4) 


21. 


(5) 


25. 


(6) 


26. 


(7) 


27. 


(8) 



28. 



30. 
31. 
32. 



INTRODUCTOKY. 



After Many Years.— It is quite apparent that 
Christianity must be reduced, as far as possi- 
ble, to a science, and its truths be applied, in a 
catholic way, by trained soul -winners for the 
coming of the Kingdom in its fullness. 

An Effort to Organize, Educate and Util- 
ize. — The Sunday (Bible) School movement is a 
successful effort to utilize the sentiment gener- 
ated in the Church by the Gospel to care for, es- 
pecially, the children of Church members. This 
movement is on an interdenominational and 
catholic basis . 

The Young People's Society of Christian En- 
deavor fills a similar place in the utilization of 
sentiment to care for the young people of the 
Church, with an eye to a universal sweep, and 
without antagonizing denominationalism. 

Now there is a vast sentiment — a dominant mis- 
sionary idea — that reaches out after the children , 
the young people, the parents, who are without 
the blessings of Faith . 

Especially adapted for city conditions, yet 
knowing neither denominational nor territorial 
bounds — mark it! — these systematic lessons in 
soul- winning are a humble effort to organize, edu- 
cate and utilize this sentiment. 
16) 



INTRODUCTORY. 



Think On This! — "And thus also the further- 
ance of God's Kingdom, both in general and in 
each individual community, the furtherance of 
the propagation of Christianity among the hea- 
then, and the improvement of each particular 
Church, was not to be the concern of a particu- 
lar chosen class of Christians, but the nearest 
duty of every individual Christian. 

' ' Every one was to contribute to this object 
from the station assigned to him by the invisible 
Head of the Church, and by the gifts peculiar to 
him, which were given to him by God, and 
grounded in his nature — a nature which retained, 
indeed, its individual character, but was regen- 
erated and ennobled by the influence of the Holy 
Spirit. 

"There was no division into spiritual and 
worldly, but all as Christians, in their inward 
life and dispositions, were to be men dead to the 
ungodliness of the world, and thus far departed 
out of the world ; men animated by the Spirit of 
God, and not by the spirit of the world. ' ' — Nean- 
der' s History. 

Words of the Nazarene.— < 'The harvest truly 
is great and the laborers are few." "Go.'' 
"Pray.'' "Teach.'' "Observe.'' "I am 
with you. ' ' 

Soul- Winners' Training (Classes— College) 
In Contemplation. — All pastors and thoughtful 
Christians view, with deep gratitude, the ad- 
vances in the direction of training soul -winners 



8 INTRODUCTORY. 

made by the Young Men and Young Women's 
Christian Associations, Christian Endeavor and 
kindred societies, the Sunday (Bible) School and 
the Church, although, so far as we know, there 
is not, nor has there been, any general, wide- 
spread or systematic effort in this direction. 

Development. — It is only a further develop- 
ment of this same dominant missionary idea that 
suggests a training -class in every Ghurch, that 
there may be those, who are not only willing, 
but competent to do personal work. 

There is a demand for this work, not alone, 
during the season of special revival, or in the 
various regular services of the Church , where the 
Christian and non- Christian may be thrown to- 
gether, but for those trained fishermen, who 
will cheerfully subject themselves to the dis- 
comfiture and uncertainty of angling in unseen 
depths , who will go from one place of rendezvous 
to another, continually and persistently, braving 
sneer and insult, because on fire with the faith 
that such of mankind as are not brought into the 
Kingdom of the Living God are lost ! 

If one can be a storage -battery for God, out- 
side the ranks of the faithful and within the ene- 
mies' enclosure, what could he not be and do, 
when all around are friends, and the atmosphere 
and surroundings are surcharged with Christian 
power? 

Therefore, as the greater comprehends the 
lesser, so it is recommended, that this training- 



INTRODUCTORY. 9 

class of soul -winners be organized and instructed 
with special reference to fitness for house-to- 
house visitation. 

Organize by the pastor, or any one sufficiently 
interested, calling a meeting of those who will be 
party to some such agreement as this. 

Covenant. — I, , believe 

that " the kingdom of God and his righteous- 
ness/' constitute the supreme interest of man- 
kind in general, and myself in particular. Hence 
I do, hereby, enter into this solemn covenant to 
fit myself for personal work — soul -winning. 

The Course of Study. — Besides common 
sense, a good English education, and a pure 
heart, it is expected that members of this class 
shall have been as well grounded in the knowl- 
edge and use of the Holy Word as the Church 
affords opportunity, in the present development 
of her activities. And beyond this, 

The Bible is to be carefully and systematically 
studied, with special reference to soul -winning. 
(Normally, it can be studied in no other way, but 
we are so blinded by selfishness. ) And then, 

This Little Book, it is hoped, will be taken as 
a kind of manual in the attempt to adapt the 
truths of the Scriptures to the exigencies of our 
day, especially in house-to-house work; and so, 
anything that can be used to advance this pur- 
pose should be added; not, however, so as to 
make the course too extended or complex. 

The Leader. — To develop independence, rapid- 



10 INTRODUCTORY. 

ity, and conciseness, patience, tact, and delicacy 
of thought and expression, let the members of 
the class alternate in leading. 

Manner of Conducting the Class -Meeting. — 
Let the leader conduct a review of the previous, 
lesson (with closed books and absence of notes), 
and the same leader, by lecture or conference, es- 
tablish well the salient points in the next lesson . 
Thus , after the manner of lectures at college . 

Let the leader and lesson -subject be selected 
and announced one meeting in advance. The use 
of the blackboard is recommended 

Order of Exercises (Suggested). 

1. Scripture Reading — selected with reference 
to lesson to be reviewed. 

2 . Hymn — selected with reference to lesson to 
be reviewed. 

3. Review of the previous lesson. 

4. Sentence -Prayer — by every member of the 
class. 

5. Study of the next lesson. 

6. Selection of leader and lesson. Miscella- 
neous. 

7 . Hymn — Benediction . 

Prayer. — O our Father, dependent on Thee 
are we — on Thee alone. Grant to us humility. 
May we be free from any feeling of self-suffi- 
ciency. What have we that we have not re- 
ceived from Thee? O Thou art the Giver of all 
good! Blessed be Thy Holy name! Grant to 
Thy children zeal, constancy and wisdom. May 
we be altogether dominated , as was Jesus , by the 
idea of service to Thee and humanity, that Thy 
will may be done on earth as in Heaven. For 
Christ ' s sake . Amen . 



PART I. 
THE WORK EXPLAINED. 



LESSONS IN SOUL-WINNING. 



LESSON I. OUTLINED. 

The Initiatory Step. 
DEVOTION. 

O our Heavenly Father, help us to re- 
member our covenant with Thee and 
among ourselves. May we be mindful 
that we are parts of a tremendous whole 
— that Thou art no respecter of persons, 
loving all alike — that we are to work to- 
gether, so Thy great purpose in creating 
man may be fulfilled. We thank Thee 
for the measure of co-operation already 
attained; grant us grace to go on to 
greater things. For Jesus' sake. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

Vast numbers in the great cities — prob- 
ably not less than three-fifths — are rent- 
ers; and this great number are, more or 

less, continually shifting from this house 
(13) 



14 SOUL-WINNING. 

to that, from one part of the city to an- 
other. Moreover, many hundreds and 
thousands are annually added to the city's 
population — people moving in from else- 
where. Families are created every year 
by marriage, which go to housekeeping. 
All this makes it a matter of great ur- 
gency to get out a new directory annu- 
ally, Business men understand this. The 
churches need a new directory with even 
a greater need; the haphazard, overlap- 
ping, irresponsible, unreliable way of the 
past is entirely inadequate — a relic of an 
anti-missionary, anti-co-operative age. 
When the preacher says, occasionally, 
from the pulpit, "If any of you know of 
any family or person in the neighborhood 
whom I ought to visit, with the view of 
having them become identified with us in 
our church, please let me know;" and 
the superintendent says, "Now let every 
scholar bring a new scholar next Sun- 
day;" and, maybe, the enthusiastic pas- 
tor, when he enters upon his city charge, 
writes a fervent article for his denomina- 
tional paper, in which he says, "Breth- 



SOUL- WINNING, 15 

ren (to his fellow-pastors and elders), if 
any of your members move to our city, 
drop me a note with their addresses, so I 
can look them up ; oh ! so very, very many 
are lost every year to our churches in this 
way." And that is about all there is of 
it. Soon the preacherVhands are so full 
with other matters that he cannot even 
find time to look up the names that are 
handed or sent him. As a next step, a 
visiting committee is organized by the 
Presbyterian pastor, and ten city blocks 
are canvassed with reference, solely, to 
his own congregation. The M. E. Church, 
on the opposite corner, goes on a similar 
hunt over about the same ten blocks. 
The energetic superintendent of the Pres- 
byterian Sunday-school organizes a move- 
ment to secure the children in ten blocks 
for his Sunday-school; the superintend- 
ent of the M. E. school is impressed in 
about the same way; and thus and so it 
goes. Well, everybody is tired and dis- 
gusted — those visited and those who visit. 
Such house-to-house visiting is a conspic- 
uous failure; even worse, in many in- 



16 SOUL- WINNING. 

stances, working a positive injury, in that 

(a) it causes certain of the visited to 
attach undue importance to themselves; 

(b) it leaves an impression of unbecom- 
ing rivalry; (c) these flashes leave an im- 
pression of inconstancy and insincerity — 
great attention for a short time, and then 
absolute neglect; (d) some sections of 
the city worked to death, and others alto- 
gether ignored. Moreover, in the local 
congregation there is often no concerted 
action; the Church acts without reference 
to the Sunday-school, and vice versa; 
and the Young People's Society is liable 
to act independently. All this is to be 
deprecated. The system we advocate 
looks to thoroughness, co-operation and 
efficiency, in the initial visit of the year — 
concerted action, on the part of the local 
church, and sister churches of all denom- 
inations. The initial visit is to locate 
those unidentified with Christian work, 
and to ascertain what denomination could 
best enlist them. To divide the family 
up — the father to this church, the mother 
to that church, and the children to the 



SOUL- WINNING. 17 

other church — is not the ideal condition ; 
but such inharmony will, however, adjust 
itself, as denominations come to see eve 
to eye, which latter condition this move- 
ment will assist to effect. 

The initial visit does not stand alone ; 
it is the first, and differs somewhat from 
the following; but by no means is it an 
end of the matter. The initial visit 
means every house, every family, every 
person. Very much depends on the be- 
ginning; other people are to enter into 
our labor, even as we enter into theirs. 

APPLICATION. 

Do not display any bigotry or sectarian- 
ism whatever. Do your work well. In a 
sense, more depends upon the initial visit 
than upon any other. It means a con- 
certed action on the part of Christian 
people, with absolutely no regard for 
denominational lines. You are to ascer- 
tain facts, interested only as a Christian. 

In the "following up" visits, denomi- 
national channels may be used. Remem- 
ber you are to work with the dominant 



18 SOUL-WINNING. 

idea of the Church as a unit, not with un- 
seemly rivalry of parts, but as one solid 
and aggressive phalanx moving on to uni- 
versal conquest and universal peace. 



LESSON II. OUTLINED. 

Delicacy of the Work. 

DEVOTION. 

O Father of Wisdom, take now our 
heads and hearts, acquaint us with a 
sense of the fine, sensitive character of 
this work, and free us from rudeness and 
presumption. May we have the mind of 
Jesus in seeking out and caring for the 
stray. In His name. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

That the work is too difficult and deli- 
cate is not a good excuse for declining to 
make the effort; but, on the contrary, 
should incite us. Whether we work or 
refuse, an influence is set in perpetual 
motion. 



SOUL- WINNING. 19 

It is largely a question of grace in ap- 
proach and in contact : 

(a) Not on a parallel with an agent or 
canvasser, who has a more or less selfish 
motive in calling; but per contra. 

(b) Not a quality to be attained with- 
out thought or exercise ; but per contra. 

(c) The ambiguity of speech adds diffi- 
culties to the work. Many delicate in- 
quiries are necessary, sometimes, to estab- 
lish one point clearly. To be brusque 
would be to court defeat. 

(d) Once let the visited repose confi- 
dence in the visitor, and the remaining 
part is easy. 

Extreme sensitiveness may arise from, 
(1) great selfishness, (2) deep sense of 
ignorance, (3) secret sins and fear of ex- 
posure, (4) confidence misplaced, (5) 
shattered hopes — in a word, here is sin, a 
great sore, inflamed and sensitive! O, the 
shattered nerves, the guilty consciences! 
O, the reckless, despairing, desperate 
souls! Yes, it is a delicate task to snatch 
the brands from the burning. No outside 
glamour of respectability or composure 



20 SOUL- WINNING. 

should deceive. Let there be honest 
diagnosis! 

APPLICATION. 

Go, be not faint-hearted; be dependent 
on God's wisdom, not your own. Jesus 
to the sinners, not to the righteous — be a 
follower of Him in deed and in truth. Be 
patient and sympathetic — don't pose as 
some great one, you are not; take off your 
gloves, it is fine work; lay aside the con- 
ventional flatteries and deceits. We 
mean business and have no time for 
trifling; take insult at nothing. If sneer-" 
ed at and reviled, stand it patiently; 
Jesus did not revile again, be sure we do 
not. Be loving; if love does not win, be 
sure severity cannot. Be content with 
little or no apparent progress ; remember 
you are sowing the seed. We do not sow 
and reap the same day ; remember, how- 
ever, that with some souls the reaping 
time is at hand; seek then for definite 
committal. Do not lose your head; if 
you are getting disconcerted and out of 
sorts, withdraw a little while and pray; 



SOUL -WINNING. 21 

or, where you are, just think a prayer. 
Avoid disagreements, or discussions of 
differences; attempt rather to build up 
a higher understanding by considering 
things upon which you can agree; thus, 
sympathy is shown and confidence is be- 
gotten. 



LESSON III. OUTLINED. 

The (House) Home. 
DEVOTION. 

O our Father in Heaven, we are grate- 
ful for the home on earth; help us to 
give to it purpose, and to grasp its asso- 
ciated ideas as it relates to others — obli- 
gations, responsibilities, hopes and fears — 
to the end that souls may be won. For 
Jesus' sake. 

ELABORATION. 

I. Consider its universality and evolu- 
tion; the first and last abode of living 
man — the corollary of the family idea; 
corollary, from "corolla," a crown, and 



22 SOUL- WINNING. 

crown means to "dignify," "adorn," 
"complete;" hence, ho?ne, crown of the 
family, dignifies, adorns and completes it. 
Note the teleology of advance: cave, 
teepe, mud, log, modern house. Effects 
of civilization and Christianity, aspects of 
exterior and interior. 

II. The property idea often represents 
a certain self-denial, one's own brain and 
brawn, sweat and blood. Where the 
heart is, there is the treasure also; undue 
attachment. 

III. Its title to respect, because place 
of seclusion and of rest: Isa. 48: 22; 
Psa. 118:165. O what words! And then 
its relation to religion, the family prayer 
altar — early prayers — the births, deaths, 
marriages. 

IV. Its soul and life is in its influence 
on human life: joys, habits, sorrows, 
associations, etc. 

APPLICATION. 

We go into homes, not houses alone — 
go with the thought of w T hat they may 
be (consider our ignorance), and what 



SOUL- WINNING. 23 

they should be (what Christ would have 
them). Not given to everybody to be 
" at home" with various classes. Can 
you? We have Divine Authority as well 
as human right to go, as gospel messen- 
gers, into every home (providing it is not 
resented). Don't doubt it. 



LESSON IV. OUTLINED. 

How to Gain Access — House to House. 

DEVOTION. 

O Thou, who providest abundantly 
every soul with every needed thing, grant 
us grace and knowledge to do Thy holy 
will. May we understand the manner of 
approach to each precious soul under 
domestic environment of all kinds. Grant 
to us the virtues of adaptability and taste 
and persistency, with the one object of 
soul-winning. For Jesus' sake. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

Awkwardness, embarrassment, failure 
to adapt one's self to the occasion or sur- 



24 SOUL-WINNING. 

roundings, are always to be deprecated. 

(a) Time. Select such times as will, 
most likely, be suitable to the class of 
people to be visited. As a rule, go be- 
tween 9 and 11 a. m., 2 and 5 and 7 and 

8 P. M. 

(b) Dress. Dress with such taste as 
will, most likely, be free of offense and 
criticism to all classes. Don't under- 
estimate this point. 

(c) Manner. Be considerately cheer- 
ful and make it early apparent that you 
are not a canvasser or agent. If a ser- 
vant answer the door, explain to him or 
her that your mission is one of friendli- 
ness and good will, avoiding the mechan- 
ical as much as possible ; draw from her 
the information desired concerning her- 
self, giving with kind words the invitation 
to church services ; then ask her to carry 
a card to the householder (whose name 
you will have secured beforehand), with 
the request for a moment's conversation. 
Make it very dear that you are not out in 
the interest of any denomination, as such; 
that you are not to proselyte in that sense 



SOUL- WINNING. 25 

at all. Let it be understood, also, that 
you are not out soliciting alms for any- 
body or an}'thing. In most cases a child 
or a woman will come to the door, and 
our first duty will be to disarm them of 
any suspicion. Act as though it were a 
neighborly call, and that is exactly what 
it is. Show no indication of displeasure 
or surprise whatever, at any sight, sound 
or smell that may assail you — you have 
no business to be proud or " stuck up " at 
any time, but especially would it be out 
of place in this work; don't give it up if • 
you meet with silence and a cold stare — 
you are to expect just that sort of thing. 
A few more smiles and kind words will 
probably open the sealed lips ; if you meet 
with rebuff or ridicule, stand it good- 
naturedly; the chances are it will not be 
repeated after the first snarl. Most peo- 
ple will receive you good-naturedly and 
many will be disposed to smile the thing 
off in an easy manner; be on your guard 
against such. 



26 SO UL- WINNING . 

APPLICATION. 

You are approaching your own brothers 
and sisters; be just as considerate and 
charitable and persistent as though, in- 
deed, they wore your own name and were 
your immediate kin. Bear in mind that 
you are building for Eternity ! be yourself 
a storage battery of Faith, Hope and 
Love. 



LESSON V. OUTLINED. 

How to Use the Cards. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Divine Father, grateful are we 
for all instrumentalities for the accom- 
plishment of Thy holy will on earth; help 
us in our understanding of the means of 
co-operation and the plan devised to give 
efficiency and permanency to this work. 
We ask it in the name of Him who organ- 
ized and sent forth the seventy and the 
twelve. 



SOUL- WINNING. 27 

ELABORATION. 

The Introductory and Invitation card: 

(Should be of good card-board, about 2 1-2x4 in.) 



" Whosoever Will, Let Him Come." 

You are cordially invited to attend the services 
at the church of your choice 

NEXT SUNDAY. 

AND REGULARLY THEREAFTER. 

This invitation is a general one, and is made by 
the Christian people of the city. 

YOUR WELCOME IS ASSURED. 



REVERSE SIDE. 



"The Spirit and the Bride say Come, and whoso- 
ever will, let him take of the water of life freely. " 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life. " 



28 SOUL- WINNING. 

Be well provided with these cards. In- 
sert your name before starting out. Use 
them freely, but not wastefully; they are 
all of some worth, and can be used at any 
time. It is intended to give every one, in 
this way, a personal printed invitation, 
and accompanied, if it be possible, with a 
spoken invitation. Be prepared to give 
location and other information of the 
principal churches in the city, and of all 
of every kind in the immediate neighbor- 
hood in which you visit. The following 
blank is suggested for the retention and 
exchange of information. 

Each canvasser is provided with fifty of 
these slips fastened between card-board 
covers. On the front cover are blanks 
for the number of the district, name of 
canvasser, and a diagram on which the 
Chairman indicates the block to be can- 
vassed by writing the names of streets 
about the diagram. At headquarters 
these books of slips are taken all apart 
and the slips fastened in packages accord- 
ing to denominations. 



SOUL- WINNING. 



29 



Name 

Residence . 





< 
O 


i 

sis 

B 5 « 

£ ° 


§>3i 

IS 3 5 

©OS 
Bb% 


bo 

»S • 

0) o 

o 


T3 o 
1—1 


1 

CO 
•- 1 02 

o 


Adults, 21 and over 














Youths, 4 to 20 

Under 4 years.. 














TOTALS 















Member of what church.. 



What denomination preferred.. 



Which branch of said denomination.. 



Visit advisable (Yes or no.) 

Remarks 



Each visitor is provided with a slip 
upon which are suggestions as follows: 



30 SO UL - WINNING . 

Suggestions for Visitors. 

1. Understand as thoroughly as possi- 
ble the work expected of you, before you 
begin. 

2. Let your dress and address recom- 
mend your religion. 

3. Ascertain, if possible, the name of 
the family residing in the house before 
calling. 

4. Use the utmost skill in your speech, 
remember that love alone wins. 

5. As you enter, breathe a silent prayer 
for Christ's presence and help. 

6. Write plainly. Miss no one. Get- 
accurate information. Leave one invi- 
tation for each person. 

7. Include all hired help and boarders, 
but under their own respective names, 
and on a separate blank. 

8. Under " Remarks " note reasons for 
non-attendance, etc., state in one word 
any incident, comment or experience that 
may be striking. 

9. Complete your work as soon as pos- 
sible and report to your chairman. 



SOUL- WINNING. 31 

10. Remember, the object of this co- 
operative and thorough canvass is not so 
much to do the work, as to point out to 
churches and Sunday-schools the work to 
be done afterward. 

Do not mark, as for special visit, those 
who are in good standing and full fellow- 
ship in some one of our city churches; 
no cognizance should be taken of such 
(save in exceptional cases, where there is 
palpable neglect on the part of the church, 
the member being destitute, or sick, in 
special and sudden distress), any more 
than to enumerate the visit and number 
visited, etc., for it is to be supposed that all 
full members are enlisted for work in the 
Lord's army. Note, however, that one 
should inquire narrowly, but discreetly 
and courteously, into this matter, because 
heretofore many have reported in a brief, 
laconic way: " Yes, I am a church mem- 
ber," a "Protestant," or maybe, "Meth- 
odist" or "Baptist," without qualification 
or limitation, when, in reality, they only 
lean that way, or have been so reared, or 



32 SOUL- WINNING. 

their parents were such, or they them- 
selves were such before coming into the 
city, or they think of becoming such some 
time, etc. Let us be on our guard in this 
matter. 

A visit is advisable in every instance 
where the visited is not identified with 
any local congregation in the city, and 
who, needing, would not resent a visit 
from a friend. Be very accurate in writ- 
ing down the name, address, etc.; don't 
approach a person with pencil and card 
in hand and demand the name and ad- 
dress, but after you have established sym- 
pathy, and determined the items desired, 
ask if the person has any objection to 
permitting you to write down a few points. 
If, however, you fear giving offense, re- 
tain the points in mind and insert them 
later. We are not governmental employes 
propounding interrogations mechanically, 
Remember! 

District Chairman's Report. 

District Number 

Number Canvassers 

Number visits made 



SOUL- WINNING. 



33 



Total number visited 

Number adults— 21 and over 

Number youths— 4 to 20 

Number under four years 

Number not attending church 

Number in Sunday-school 

Number youths not in Sunday-school 

Number attend neither church norjSunday-school.. 

Number having no preference 

Number visits advisable 



goo 

II 

U 



CD CD 

<w O 

CD a 

U CD 



Number Methodists 

Number Lutheran 

Number Christian 

Number Baptist 

Number Presbyterian 

Number Unitarian 

Number Jewish 

Number Episcopalian 

Number Congregational 

Number Miscellaneous 

Number total Non- Catholics.. 
Number Roman Catholics 



Total.. 



34 SO UL- WINNING . 

The suggested forms and blanks herein 
set forth are tentative. However, they 
have served for canvassers in St. Louis, 
Louisville, Kansas City and elsewhere. 
In St. Louis, where the author has been 
for some years Secretary of the House-to- 
House Board, new schools have been or- 
ganized, and in some instances local con- 
gregations sprang into existence almost 
as the immediate result of the canvasses. 

I spread upon the pages of this book 
the Secretary's " Salient Points." report 
made after the Fall canvass of 1893; the 
previous annual canvasses had been made 
in the Spring. 

House-to-House Visitation — Saliext 
Poixts. 

1st. Activity in the interim. In many 
cases using the district boundaries as laid 
out by our interdenominational Board, 
but confined to local church channel, and 
practically ignoring other churches, near 
or far, thus sufficient in itself, and reluct- 
ant to go into the general movement. 



SOUL- WINNING. 35 

2d. Denominational activity (£. e., co- 
operation among churches of the same 
denomination), and so again averse to in- 
terdenominational co-operation. 

3d. Disposition to give up the effort 
to secure sufficient and efficient volunteer 
help; but to pay for efficient service of 
one or two, and extend the time for sev- 
eral weeks. 

4th. Pronounced indisposition to set- 
tle down to the good, hard work of the 
movement, both in the initiatory and the 
"following up" (not more noticeable 
this year than formerly, however, if the 
novelty of the movement be eliminated). 
This indisposition is shown by, (a) in- 
creased sensitiveness at rude treatment; 
(b) " don't like to interfere with the reg- 
ular work of the Church;" (c) "don't do 
any good anyhow, because people are set 
in their ways;" (d) "it breaks into our 
denominational arrangements in this di- 
rection;" (e) information is refused be- 
cause (it is said) the movement is in the 
interest of the "A. P. A." 

Answer. — Doubtless we should con- 



36 SO UL- WINNING . 

sider such indisposition thus: (a) If 
rudely treated, let it not be the occasion 
of cessation of endeavor, but rather in- 
duce patience and skill and persistency — 
see life of Christ, (b) Regular routine of 
church services permits many to slumber. 
The orthodox Jewish services in the time 
of Christ served to lull to ease and repose 
great numbers of the Jews, who by an 
outward conformity concluded they had 
discharged the demands of the faith, (c) 
"Nothing is settled until it is settled 
right;" the cui bono is of the devil, and 
obsolete in this relation, or else why 
Christ at all? (d) Denominationalism 
thus becomes the bane of Christianity; it 
is anarchy, the haphazard, go-as-you- 
please bigotry that retards the coming 
Kingdom; for, "when one saith, I am of 
Paul ; and another, I am of Apollos ; are 
ye not carnal?" (e) The movement has 
absolutely no connection whatever with 
any secret society or political party. 
Over a year ago it was suggested to divide 
the city according to wards and precincts 
for the purpose of comparisons of relig- 



SO UL - WINNING . 37 

ions with political life. Leaving out of 
consideration any purpose of compari- 
sons, such division might have been ac- 
ceptable, and was followed in our neigh- 
boring city, Louisville, but Avas avoided 
here purposely to discountenance the 
charge of being used for political pur- 
poses. The matter was laid before the 
Board again this fall, and again defeated. 

Failed to "Reckon. — The committee 
failed to take into account the Church as 
a religious club, the pastors as overtaxed, 
and the fact that the churches are so 
dead in selfishness, coming from the sum- 
mer's relaxation, as to need, aye, require, 
the enthusiasm usually engendered in the 
winter's work so as to set the people at 
work to " compel them to come in." Our 
vacation system in the city is at fault 
somewhere ; it takes nearly all winter to 
regain what we lose in the summer. The 
loitering school-boy takes three steps for- 
ward and two backward, and is tardy. 

Satiated with Statistics. — The past 
canvasses have brought so much to light 
in this respect that many stand appalled 



38 SOUL- WINNING. 

and consider any reform movement a for- 
lorn hope — so many have lost their apti- 
tude (if, indeed, they ever possessed any) 
for soul-winning, and satisfy themselves 
(and not infrequently the preacher) by 
giving a genteel sort of service, a contri- 
bution in dollars, but not in personal duty 
performed in the presence and to the 
person of the worldly. 

Many Have Grown Tired. — After the 
novelty, after the flush of one great step 
taken, after the half defeat, after work- 
ing up to the canvass again, and then 
again, after the churches were not filled 
and the Sunday-schools had not doubled 
their membership — then comes the a tired 
feeling." It is one thing to spy out the 
country, and quite another thing to take 
and hold it. One thing to co-operate for 
information, and quite another for in- 
gathering. 

Suppose We Do Know that in a given 
district there are 4,000 souls, 1,800 adults, 
1,800 youth, and 600 under four years old. 
Only 200, or one-twentieth, are church 
members; 150, or one-tenth, of the youth 



SOUL -WINNING. 39 

in the Sunday-school (not reckoning 
Catholics) ; and these members and pupils 
divided up among a score of denomina- 
tions? Rather serious condition, but what 
shall we do? 

What More to Do. — Has not each 
home been visited and a printed card of 
invitation to attend divine services been 
given to all? Yes. But did they come? 
No — perhaps one or two. Were they 
then not assorted, and did not one specific 
congregation send out written or printed 
invitations to attend a specific service? 
Yes, in some few cases. And was there 
an encouraging response? No, they did 
not come in large numbers. Is it not 
true that there are churches and schools 
with conspicuously-hung signs, "All are 
welcome/' where services are conducted 
regularly, and whose doors are open? 
And how many attend? Perhaps out of 
4,000, 300 combined attend Sunday-school 
and church regularly, and another 300 
occasionally. Well, what more can be 
done? What more? Why, it all remains 
to be done! 



40 SOUL- WINNING. 

Not Enough.— Of course it is not 
enough to hand out a printed invitation ; 
one might as well expect to have the 
house full by inserting a deftly-worded 
invitation in the newspaper. It is not 
enough, having learned the destitution 
spiritual and the predilection religious, 
to send a special invitation. No, it is not 
enough to hold out inducements of reward 
cards and such for attendance at Sunday- 
school. Nor will it suffice to have con- 
veniently located churches, with attrac- 
tive and conspicuous signs, "All welcome; 
seats free." Well, what then? 

The Christ Heart. — How true is it 
that religious clubs are exclusive, that 
the churches frequently do not care for 
increased usefulness! That genuine faith 
and repentance and obedience are rare 
and exceptionally fine conditions, and not 
acceptable to the mass of the people. 
The grace that comes from God, and not 
from man, to secure and to hold those 
outside. Alas! alas! the aptitude and 
love for soul-winning dwell in very few 
hearts. 



SOUL- WINNING. 



41 



Here is the Suggestion for You. — 
Pastoral Co-operation. Cottage Prayer- 
Meetings. Neighborhood Sunday-schools. 
On this mundane sphere that army of the 
Lord, with no councils of war and.no 
communications between divisions and 
companies, is insane and foolish (if ulti- 
mate victory be honestly desired and ex- 
pected.) This is our present condition. 
Who will deny it? Organize the St. 
Louis pastoral co-operation with auxil- 
iaries in each of our eighty-one districts. 

Auxiliary Co-operation. — (1) Organ- 
ize with corps of officers that will include 
pastors and superintendents of all church- 
es and Sunday-schools in the district. (2) 
Hold monthly meetings in rotation from 
one church to another. (3) Two elections 
annually. (4) Objects: (a) Keep religious 
directory of the district continually cor- 
rected; (b) Interchange of information 
and suggestions and studies in soul-win- 
ning—cottage prayer-meetings, neighbor- 
hood Sunday-schools; (c) Eeports from 
pastors and superintendents as to in- 
crease in church and Sunday-school ; (d) 



42 SOUL- WINNING. 

Afford relief to the destitute; (e) Report 
twice a year to the Central Co-operation. 
Central Pastoral Co-operation. — A 
joint organization of the Sunday-school 
Union and Alliance, something after the 
order of our present House-to-House 
Board, to secure desired uniformity, 
have general supervision of the move- 
ment, and keep the auxiliaries working, 
etc., "till all attain unto the unity of the 
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of 
God." 



LESSON VI. OUTLINED. 

How to Consider the Poor — The Rich. 

devotion. 

O our Divine Father, help us to hold in 
mind the teaching of Thy Word concern- 
ing these two great classes, that we may 
act rightly in any and all cases. Give us 
an eye to distinguish between the real 
and the apparent. We are deeply thank- 
ful for Thy providence of material things 
— w r e are unspeakably grateful for Thy 



SOUL- WINNING. 43 

providence that freely gives unsearchable 
spiritual riches to the humblest, the most 
ignoble and ignorant, through Jesus, 
who became poor that we might be rich. 
Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

In Material Things. — Causes of pov- 
erty: Good — self-sacrifice, missionary 
zeal. Indifferent— accident, sickness. Bad 
— sloth, dissipation, evil associations, 
gambling. Causes of riches: Good — 
thrift, invention, economy. Indifferent — 
inheritance, accident. Bad — gambling, 
fraud, treachery, stinginess. The Script- 
ures further say: Riches are corrupting, 
perishable, deceitful, unsatisfying, source 
of envy and strife, lead to pride and 
hard-heartedness and oppression and 
sensuality, and the forgetting and forsak- 
ing of God. Moreover, those who possess 
riches should not set their hearts on 
them, or trust in them, or boast of them, 
or glory in them, or hoard them up, but 
rather ascribe them to God, devote them 
to God's service, and make the poor par- 
takers of them. 



44 SOUL- WINNING. 

The vast majority are neither poor nor 
rich; these terms are relative, flexible 
and elastic. No moral quality necessarily 
involved; consider the temptations and 
sins that are liable to accompany ex- 
tremes. Riches never an unavoidable con- 
dition; poverty maybe: a rich man can 
always give away his riches, but a poor 
man cannot always dispose of his pov- 
erty. Envy, avarice and gross selfishness 
not uncommon in the poor. The Chris- 
tian desires immaterial riches, i. e., treas- 
ures above — this is real wealth; all men 
should sacrifice riches for such. God is 
no respecter of rich or poor. God owns 
it all. 

APPLICATION. 

We must be affected by neither the one 
nor the other condition; ignorance, vice, 
infidelity and crime exist in both classes. 
Appearances are not an indication. Do 
not be guilty of one of the great sins of 
our day, namely, toadyism. Salvation 
from sin is found in Jesus Christ alone. 
Riches save no one, and poverty damns 



SOUL- WINNING. 45 

none. Strive to be rich in good works. 
"There is a burden of care in getting 
riches, fear in keeping them, temptation 
in using them, guilt in abusing them, sor- 
row in losing them, and a burden of ac- 
count to be given up at last concerning 
them." — Mattheiv Henry. 



LESSON VII. OUTLINED. 

How to Approach the Unsaved. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Father, may we realize the won- 
derful truth — "By unbelief they entered 
not in;" "He that believes not shall be 
condemned." That we may be stirred up 
to our full duty, may we keep in mind 
the words, "If you love them that love 
you, what reward have you?" "If you 
salute your brethren only, what do you 
more than others?" We have been selfish 
and unchristlike ; O forgive us ! May we 
be like Jesus. We ask in His name. 
Amen. 



46 SOUL- WINNING . 

ELABORATION. 

Four kinds or attitudes of the mind and 
heart towards Christ : 

(1) Convicted — those who want to be 
saved. 

(2) Awakened — those who are inter- 
ested. 

(3) Careless — those who are indiffer- 
ent. 

(4) Eebellious — those who refuse to 
listen. 

"Zeal without knowledge," "apathy," 
"inconstancy," might be written of a 
vast amount of the efforts to win souls in 
the past. The efforts, in the direction of 
personal work, put forth during seasons 
of revival, the zeal young Christians man- 
ifest, are not to be spoken of slightingly. 
Although the one is sometimes spasmodic, 
and the other sometimes without knowl- 
edge, it is far better than the lifeless "O 
won't you join our church, our minister 
is so nice?" of the apathetic. Special at- 
tention is required to efface these faults: 
(1) Diagnosis — analysis and synthesis, 
taking apart and putting together of ele- 



SOUL- WINNING. 47 

ments in character, as heredity and envi- 
ronment and manifestation, the enfolding 
and unfolding of each life. (2) Indi- 
vidual — We have to do with an individ- 
ual — a unit — not a class. One, however, 
who has lived in more or less touch with 
Christianity all his life; note, therefore, 
the Geist Zeit. We are not the first cen- 
tury disciples, with a gospel that is a nov- 
elty, to encounter the prejudices and su- 
perstitions of the polytheistic myths, the 
esoteric philosophy of Rome and Greece 
and Egypt. * But we are dealing with an 
old, old story, after nineteen centuries of 
misapprehensions, encountering the per- 
plexing vices of an heathenized Christian- 
ity — the same old gospel, overloaded with 
the rubbish of human traditions and mis- 
understandings. Shall we not be stout- 
hearted and sink the trtfe old gospel-blade 
down into the root of misrepresentation 
and the nineteenth century enormities? 
Let the burden of your counsel be, to the 

Convicted: Trust and obey. 

Awakened: Jesus is trustworthy. 

Careless: Immortal soul accountable. 



48 



SOUL -WINNING. 



Rebellious: Reductio ad absurdum — 
few words — a good example. 



APPLICATION. 

AVOID 

Ostentation. 

Flattery. 

Insinuations. 

Flippancy. 

Censoriousness. 



CULTIVATE 

Observation without Impudence. 
Sympathy without Softness. 
Humility without Hypocrisy. 
Seriousness without Gloom. 
Fact without Intrigue. 



LESSON VIII. OUTLINED. 

Concerning the Parents. 

DEVOTION. 

Our Heavenly Father, Thou hast sanc- 
tified the marriage relations ; in Thy sight 
and economy the Family is at once school 
and sanctuary — we learn, we worship. O 
grant that all influences of parental life 
may be holy — that children may be reared 
in the nurture and admonition of our 
Lord. For Jesus' sake. 

ELABORATION. 

After entrance, do not stop to talk with 
the children, but speak to the point, with 



SOUL- WINNING. 49 

the parent; the parents control the chil- 
dren, and if you win the co-operation of 
the parents, you reach the children. 
Kindly assume the aggressive; judiciously 
defend the church. You can not waste 
time in listening to long tales of woe, or 
insidious attacks on the faith — look right 
into the eye with fullest candor. Press 
the following points home : You need the 
church, its music, its cheer, its society, its 
peace. Don't try to get "fit," go as you 
are. Keep continually sweet and cheer- 
ful, then — your children are growing a 
character. What are you willing to do 
about it? Are you fearful of bad influ- 
ences? Consider the good influences of 
Sunday-school — may I enroll them right 
now? (Only a little plain, pleasant, 
pointed talk to the parent.) No expense 
attached (comparatively) to religion — 
think! Sunday-school literature, Sunday- 
school teachers' work gratis — funerals, 
visits free, good cheer — preacher's good 
advice cheap? Yes, cheap, like sun and 
air — but O how valuable ! See ! Prevents 
blues, dissipation, crime! Ah, it is the 



50 SO UL - WINNING . 

Salt, the Light! And then pray, right 
on your feet— short — to the point — no 
cant or whine. 

Have clearly in mind, believe what you 
want to say, say it; when you are through, 
go; don't dillydally about it — just go. 
" God bless you !" open the door, and go 
on about the Master's business. "The 
King's business requires haste." 

APPLICATION. 

Secure the attention, win the co-opera- 
tion. Don't underestimate the parent's 
power and influence — exalt your work — 
don't waste your time; yours is an inval- 
uable opportunity. It took grace to get 
into their house, let nothing of cowardice 
or timidity or thoughtlessness defeat you 
in accomplishing your purpose. Mid- 
summer is a little late to sow the seed, 
you might get in an after-crop, however. 
In the main, cultivate the grace that may 
be dormant within them — utilize it — get 
all out of it you can, especially as it 
relates to the children. 



SOUL- WINNING. 51 

LESSON IX. OUTLINED. 

The Young People. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee 
for the buoyancy of youth. Help us to 
understand its moods and whims, the 
melancholy of young manhood and wom- 
anhood, the chum-life, the loosenings of 
home ties, increasing responsibilities, and 
all the within and without that are so 
strange. Keep us ever in sympathy and 
touch with the young people, and may we 
win souls for Thee, our country and pos- 
terity. For Jesus' sake. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

Now begin to show the individuality — 
every day brings some surprise. Under 
responsibility the dormant emotion, sen- 
sibility and will, seem to awake. Hold 
the reins gently but firmly — go the well- 
lighted road; in the dark paths disaster 
may occur before one is aware. 

Study conditions of those from ten to 
twenty-five years, alone and in company, 



52 SOUL -WINNING. 

especially delicate matter to establish 
sympathy, as young people run to almost 
unaccountable chumships, and are sealed 
books to others. Study the magnificent 
proportions of responsibility, as the de- 
veloper of character. Put the wavering, 
possibly selfish, physically strong, as guar- 
dian for a more delicately built and weak 
younger one (a la Tom Brown). Let all 
business for life be selected with a view 
to its possible effects on morals of the 
one so selecting. If this selection be 
permitted to go haphazard and slipshod, 
beware ! 

Recreations, entertainments and amuse- 
ments. Fill the hours for such very full 
of the unquestionably right and proper, 
those that Jesus would allow, but withal, 
remember that life is a work-life, earnest, 
profitable, unselfish — be thrifty and shifty 
for the right always. 

APPLICATION. 

I may need my own advice. Have I not 
become blase, selfish, without conscious, 
independent strength? Is not this the 



SOUL- WINNING. 53 

secret — in strengthening others I strength- 
en self, in losing I find? O my soul, long 
for earnest friendships, for a constant, 
perpetual youth, with its hopes and vig- 
ors and unimpaired enthusiasm. Live 
and teach. 

1. Keep good company or none. 

2. Never be idle. 

3. Live up to your engagements. 

4. Keep your own secrets, if you have 
any. 

5. Never play at any game of chance. 

6. Do not run in debt. 

7. Be temperate in all things. 



LESSON X. OUTLINED. 

The Children. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Father, we invoke Thy blessing 
upon us as we enter on this great theme — 
the children, whose angels are with Thee, 
the children of whom Jesus spoke so fre- 
quently. May human depravity be met 
and vanquished by the knowledge and 



54 SOUL- WINNING. 

power of Godliness, in the earliest days 
of infancy. O the little ones ! how Thou 
lovest them! how we love them! May 
we be sensible and show our regard in a 
practical way. To this end bless, we 
pray Thee, the Sunday-schools and Young 
People's Societies and the parents. For 
Jesus' sake. 

ELABORATION. 

"Suffer little children "—all the child 
needs is permission. The major part of 
our most fruitful work lies in this direc- 
tion. Paul to Timothy: "From a babe 
(from infancy up) thou hast known the 
sacred writings." So most frequently of 
the faithful. The child born under the 
most untoward circumstances, but reared 
in God's grace, becomes a power for right 
and conquest. Sow the seed in the 
spring — train the tree in the green. O 
the danger period — from ten to twenty! 
Animalism, sensuality, overpowered with 
tinsel and glare of this wicked world! 
Actions that may set (become fixed) into 
habits, and habits that may lead into hell ! 



SOUL- WINNING. 



The years from three to eight will likely 
tell life's tale, and fortify or weaken. 
God pity the youth, without compass or 
pilot, on life's ocean, on either hand the 
rocks — the whirlpool ! There is no glory 
and little profit in saving a wreck. 
"Some men imagine they are forsaking 
the devil, when, in truth, the devil has 
only forsaken their worn-out bodies." 
Oh, the youth, the youth! our little loved 
ones, our hope, our promise and our 
power! 

APPLICATION. 

Drifting or guided? What am I doing 
about it? No notion of "original sin," 
or "infant baptism," should deter, 
swerve or mystify us as to our obligations 
to the children. Our Sunday-school could 
be increased a hundred-fold in attend- 
ance (and remain so)> yes, and in effi- 
ciency and power, in one year. How? By 
the sensible, persistent efforts of us soul- 
winners from house to house. We de- 
ceive ourselves if we expect God to do 
what he has enjoined upon us. "God is 



56 SO UL- WINNING . 

not mocked; whatsoever a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap." God is helping, 
and will help. "Bless the Lord, O my 
soul, and forget not all His benefits." 
And when, in the life of our youth, the 
time comes when they must do for them- 
selves w T hat no one can do for them, O 
may they have been so developed under 
the influences of Godly environment that 
all their actions may accord with the Holy 
Will of God! 



LESSON XI. OUTLINED. 

The Foreigner. 

DEVOTION. 

May we, O Father of all tongues and 
every race, appreciate the opportunities 
of our country, the health asylum of the 
world, the world's hospital, that places 
the stranger and foreigner in our midst, 
and may all be assimilated into our 
heaven-earthly government, a democracy 
under Christ. O guide and preserve our 
citizenship and studies in political eco- 



SOUL- WINNING. 57 

nornics to this great end. We ask for 
Jesus' sake. 

ELABORATION. 

What are we? God is no respecter of 
persons. What, love the yellow, almond- 
eyed, suspicious, treacherous Chinaman? 
At a distance ; we will send them mission- 
aries. Love a "Dago," a dirty, dried-up 
banana-peddler? Associate with him, be 
Si missionary to him? "It is impractica- 
ble; I haven't time; yes, it ought to be 
done ; their ignorance and anarchy might 
wreck us; I will contribute a few dollars 
for some one else to be the home mission- 
ary." Look out for this; it takes grace, 
but Grod will give it; ask Him. The En- 
glish tongue, not because it is English, 
but as it is now the most universal speech 
and the language of Christendom, carries 
with it innumerable blessings. If you can 
speak the foreign tongue, well and good; 
if not, you can smile, act a real fraternity, 
point to heaven. Remember the for- 
eigner has left much behind him, and he 
may leave his speech, also, if he be taken 



58 SOUL- WINNING. 

with your kindness; convenience and love 
will quickly help him to master our com- 
mon tongue. It is but just, because the 
discoveries and inventions and graces that 
annihilate time and space, and make all 
people one, demand one language — the 
English. Let all come to it speedily. Of 
course we may learn much from the Ger- 
man, French, Russian, etc. Let us not be 
conceited; our glorious composite under 
Christ is not completed; but notice, like 
Paul, we are debtors to all. Let us dis- 
charge our obligations and Christianize 
all. 

APPLICATION. 

The missionary districts in our large 
cities should be shirked no longer. The 
genius of our government demands that 
we be one— acquainted and united; the 
genius of our salvation requires the same 
thing. To the work, then! Down with 
the liquor business and gambling and kin- 
dred evils! 



SOUL- WINNING. 59 

LESSON XII. OUTLINED. 

The Negro. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Heavenly Father, unspeakably 
grateful are we that world-wide emanci- 
pation moves on and on and on. In Thy 
grace no country like our own great de- 
mocracy, with its millions of colored citi- 
zens, seems so advantageously situated to 
solve this race problem. Grant to us 
Christ-like grace and wisdom for this un- 
dertaking. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

Harbor a sentiment, but not sentiment- 
alism for the negro. The emancipation 
might come in a day, but the effects of 
slavery, with its commercial, social and 
religious complications, could not be 
eradicated in a day. It seems vain and 
foolish to make odious comparisons 
about cerebral superiority. The fifteenth 
amendment is doubtless just, and will 
meet with constantly increased favor. 
As far as opportunities and responsibili- 



60 SOUL WINNING. 

ties go, let there be civil, commercial and 
religious equality before the law. Negro 
soul-winners may, from the nature of the 
case, work to most advantage among their 
own race. Expediency suggests a certain 
separation, while the common good re- 
quires a no inconsiderable amount of co- 
operation. 

APPLICATION. 

Our long continued and superior ad- 
vantages should make us of especial great 
service to the negro, not in a patronizing 
way, but to assist them to lift the pall of 
superstition, immorality and ignorance 
that effects all races and peoples. Liq- 
uor, the intoxicating beverages, gambling 
and sensuality should be constantly dep- 
recated. 



LESSON XIII. OUTLINED. 

The Roomer — Boarder. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Heavenly Father, we come to 
Thee with our thanksgivings, our joys, 



SOUL-WINNING. 61 

our perplexities and our burdens. We 
need Thy wisdom and patience and grace 
in the matters before us. We so illy un- 
derstand the great cities, the diversity, 
complications and temptations, bustle, 
business and small talk of hotel and 
boarding-house life. Help us to meet the 
situation gravely and seriously, and win it 
all for Thee and Thy kingdom. For Je- 
sus' sake. 

ELABORATION. 

A fastly-increasing genus, with life and 
environment peculiar to itself — transient 
character— professional travelers, sales- 
men, actors, politicians, etc., etc. The 
regulars — clerks, railroad people, in busi- 
ness of all kinds, etc. — a life fraught with 
particularly dangerous environment, con- 
ducive to superficiality and selfishness. 

The comforts of home are lacking. 
Comfort is sought in gambling, theater 
and bar-room and their adjuncts. Fami- 
lies boarding and children thus reared are 
subject to bad influences — neglected by 
churches. So many transients that come 



62 SOUL WINNING. 

to the city for a few days on business, or 
pleasure, think nothing of throwing off 
the restraining morals of their home, and 
"going in to see the sights," demoralize 
and debauch themselves, their city friends 
and the municipality generally. 

Think of club life as related to our sub- 
ject — good, bad and indifferent, little and 
big clubs, particularly abounding in city 
life. The "Institutional" church is de- 
manded to control and give direction to 
such tendencies. 

APPLICATION. 

Why are theaters clustered "down 
town," and not in the residence districts, 
as are the churches? Among other rea- 
sons, a large number of their habitues 
come from hotels and boarding-houses. 
Does a large support of "turf ex- 
changes,' ' billiard-rooms, gambling-houses 
and famous bars come from this homeless 
genus? Are the homeless the godless? 
If they are not, there is a strong current 
setting that way. Are the godless the 
homeless? Godlessness tends to home- 



SOUL WINNING. 63 

lessness. Has the church a work to do 
here? Aye, church homes for those 
whom business or misfortune render 
homeless. Soul -winners, bring them 
home. 

God grant that the evening of sorrow 
may speedily close on all sin-soiled souls, 
and that the day-star of Christ's right- 
eousness may flood such lives with light 
and love, with redemption complete, and 
all at home. 



LESSON XIV. OUTLINED. 

God's Plan. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Father, we believe that Thou 
art. Thy supreme sovereignty is unim- 
peached. We thank Thee that Thou hast 
shown us Thy will, Thy way, Thy word. 
May we have a clear vision and clean 
hands to see and handle this mighty mat- 
ter. For Christ's sake. 



64 SOUL- WINNING. 

ELABORATION. 

Believe, know, feel, manifest and strive 
to convince all Christians that beyond a 
shadow of a doubt this personal interest 
in the individual soul, without respect to 
person, is God's plan. Go out into the 
highways, go out into the hedges, go out 
quickly into the streets and lanes of the 
city, into the mansions of the rich, the 
humble homes of the masses, the hovels 
of the poor. Go everywhere ; continue to 
go, search diligently until every soul is 
found, and compel them, by love's gentle 
force, to come in. Said Jesus: "All 
authority is given me in Heaven and 
Earth. Therefore, go — go ye and make 
Christians of all, baptizing them into the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to 
observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
manded you. And, behold, I am with you 
alway, even unto the end." 

' 'Her priests are all God's faithful sons, 
To serve the world raised up. 
O living Church, thine errand speed, 
Fulfill thy task sublime ; 



SOUL- WINNING. 65 

With Bread of Life earth ' s hunger feed ; 
Redeem the evil time. ' ' 

There are in existence an indefinite and 
large number of effective organizations 
for the purpose, in one way and another, 
of ameliorating the condition of humanity, 
of saving man. These are social, com- 
mercial, political and religious — local and 
general, denominational and undenomi- 
national and interdenominational. In a 
large and true sense the Church of God 
comprehends all. 

Better Amalgamate. — This diversity is 
not to be especially deprecated; it is nat- 
ural and right. These one thousand 
phases of work present themselves, and 
somebody must attend to each, and some- 
body will. It is the working of the 
Christ-leaven in the heart of man. Note, 
however, that we are only groping toward 
— have not attained that divinely enjoined 
condition of unity " where the whole 
body, fitly joined together and compacted 
by that which every joint supplieth, 
makes increase of the body in love." 



66 SOUL -WINNING. 

APPLICATION. 

Am I an operative Christian? The 
Lord of the harvest calls for laborers. 
Go fearlessly; cry, " Peace." " Salute no 
one on the way." No time for conven- 
tionalities. "Not eating from house to 
house." If the pleasure and purpose of 
acquaintance are only in feasting and con- 
ventionalities — Stop ! 

Do not call down fire because some fail 
to give credit to Christ. 



LESSON XV. OUTLINED. 

The Fraternity Settlement. 

DEVOTION. 

Give, O Lord, grace to go and live 
among the lowly, that simple, honest life 
that proves by doing. Search us — are we 
self-righteous, sanctimonious, joined to 
an indulgence in enervating luxuries, or 
in the onward rush for dollars that shuts 
up our hearts of compassion? Have we 
a form, while we deny the power, of god- 



SOUL- WINNING. 67 

liness? O may we present our bodies 
holy — a reasonable service, transformed 
by a renewed mind, to prove Thy perfect 
will- For Christ's sake. 

ELABORATION. 

Our city Christianity — on the defensive 
retreat system — abandon certain parts be- 
cause given over to the poor renters — 
poor but respectable — yet churches move 
back. If the church were aggressive and 
influential, the well-to-do would form set- 
tlements among such, organize Institu- 
tional churches; it would (1) distribute 
"the salt; " (2) give moral and financial 
support to Christian work in such dis- 
trict; (3) act as a disinfectant for filth 
and dirt; result in better sanitary condi- 
tions; (4) secure proper municipal pro- 
tection and attention; (5) keep back 
slum degeneration and kill it out; (6) in- 
duce simplicity and economy in living. 
This is not slumming or rescue work. It 
is real fellowship; not the long-range 
dollar sort alone. Affinity/ how can we 
love? Determine, by God's help, to do 



68 SOUL WINNING. 

so, and then we can. What is influence 
but the exercise of love — "Andrew goeth 
and getteth Peter." Association good, 
saves, as association bad, damns. So 
many diffident and procrastinating — they 
will warn one against the loss of money, 
but not of soul. 

Cannot be dogmatic in speaking of fra- 
ternity settlement. With rapid transit and 
cheap fares all can live away from crowd- 
ed tenement districts, and it is to be 
hoped that such districts will soon be a 
thing of the past. 

APPLICATION. 

Take greater interest in municipality — 
not giving over certain districts to the devil 
because the demon of poverty and shift- 
lessness is approaching. It appears that 
those well established in good character, 
without children, or whose children are 
grown, persons of influence and means, 
ought to stay with the lowly and not run 
away to city additions where there are 
building restrictions — a kind of hermit- 
like procedure. Stand for a full, round- 



SOUL- WINNING. 



ed active church, a so-called Institutional 
church. The city presents certain ideal 
conditions — if it be a settlement of broth- 
ers it is heaven. 



PART II. 

THE WORKER QUALIFIED 
AND EQUIPPED. 



SECTION I. QUALIFIED. 



LESSON I. OUTLINED. 

Confidence. 
DEVOTION. 

Our Heavenly Father, we are grateful 
for Thy thousandfold providences. With 
our weariness and woe there is rest no- 
where but with Thee. O Thou infinite, 
all-powerful and all-loving One. May we 
turn from our wavering to Thy stability, 
our failings to Thy fulfillments. Thou art 
the " Yea and Amen " to all the God ward 
yearnings of our souls. O may we trust 
wholly in Thee and give Thee a full faith, 
a faith like Jesus'. In His name. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

God in Christ is absolutely trustworthy. 
All secrets, all burdens, all temptations, 
all joys committed to God, (a) from 
youth; (b) with the whole heart; (c) all 

times; (d) under all circumstances. 

(73) 



74 SOUL- WINNING. 

Faith is ''the substance" and "evi- 
dence" (Heb. 11: 1), or the "assur- 
ance " and " proving " (revised version). 

Necessary element of love — man's first 
duty. Win confidence — inspire to confi- 
dence by God's goodness. Gifts, power, 
sure promises, refuge, redeemer. If we 
trust we shall be kept " stable," " rejoic- 
ing," "inherit the earth," "fear not 
man," " enter into unsearchable riches." 
O consider God's faithfulness! Unbe- 
lievers " trust in man," " their own right- 
eousness," "in wealth," "in vanity" and 
"falsehood." Confidence in God is the 
indispensable? 

APPLICATION. 

What hath God said? "Go, work," 
" win souls," inspire confidence, establish 
faith — without which God cannot be 
pleased and the soul's first need be met. 
Labor to inspire it everywhere, as we are 
in God's stead reconciling men, we must 
inspire the confidence of men in ourselves 
to win them. 

We rise upon the eagle wings of Faith 



SOUL- WINNING. 75 

to wind our way unto the happy heights, 
away, away, away above the woes and 
snows and throes of sin life; off, off, off 
unto the home of God, unto the very 
heights of everlasting Holiness. 

THE RIFT OF THE ROCK. 

' 'In the rift of the rock He has covered my head, 
When the tempest was wild in the desolate 
land, 
Through a pathway uncertain my steps He has 
led, 
And I felt in the darkness the touch of His 
hand 
Leading on , leading over the slippery steep , 

Where came but the echoing sound of the shock , 
And, clear through the sorrowful moan of the 
deep , 
The singing of birds in the rift of the rock. 

In the rift of the rock He has sheltered my soul 

When at noonday the toilers grew faint in the 
heat; 
Where the desert rolled far like a limitless scroll , 

Cool waters leaped up at the touch of His feet. 
And the flowers that lay with pale lips to the sod 

Bloom softly and fair from a holier stock ; 
Winged home by the winds to the mountains of 
God, 

They bloom evermore in the rift of the rock. 



76 SOUL- WINNING. 

In the rift of the rock Thou wilt cover me still, 
When the glow of the sunset is low in the sky , 
When the forms of the reapers are dim on the 
hill, 
And the song dies away, and the end draweth 
nigh. 
It will be but a dream of the ladder of light, 
And heaven dawning near without terror or 
shock, 
For the angels descending by day and by night, 
Will open a door through the rift of the rock. ' ' 



LESSON II. OUTLINED. 

Courtesy. 

DEVOTION. 

Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee 
for the manifestation of those graces 
that make Jesus so attractive and so win- 
ning — faith, virtue, knowledge, self-con- 
trol, patience, godliness and love, — O 
Thine own attributes. Grant that all 
may be blended into one and manifested 
in our courtesy, our civility, so we may 
be effective in soul- winning. We ask for 
Jesus' sake. 



SOUL- WINNING. 77 

ELABORATION. 

Vaunteth not itself nor puffed up — not 
misbehaved; seeks not selfishly — not 
supersensitive. 

" The more there is of a person the less 
likely is he to be fully known and under- 
stood by others." Then have considera- 
tion for all, for there is more of the most 
insignificant person than we are likely to 
fathom. It is easy to love those who love 
you, but there is no special grace nor sal- 
vation in that. We are after the lost, who 
do not love. Be courteous without ex- 
pecting it in return; have patience and 
'your courtesy will engender courtesy ; let 
it be genuine, not conventional, nor 
forced. 

APPLICATION. 

Put yourself in the bewildered and lost 
soul's place; never be off your guard in 
any place at any time. Courtesy is the 
adaptability to circumstances — under- 
stand then this quality. Let it not lead 
you into compromise. Be firm but gen- 
tle, " For who among men knoweth the 



78 SO UL- WINNING . 

things of a man, save the spirit of the 
man, which is in him." 

Courtesy is the essence of gallantry, the 
badge of chivalry, the sine qua non of the 
gentleman and the gentle woman. Cour- 
tesy is not solely a deference, a negative 
qualification; it is a defense, a loyal al- 
legiance to the right. 

"Some say that the age of chivalry is 
past. The age of chivalry is never past 
as long as there is a wrong left unre- 
dressed on earth, and a man or woman 
left to say, 'I will redress that wrong or 
spend my life in the attempt. ' The age 
of chivalry is never past as long as men. 
have faith enough in God to say, God will 
help me to redress that wrong; or if not 
me, surely he will help those that come 
after me. For His eternal will is to over- 
come evil with good." — Charles Kingsley. 



LESSON III. OUTLINED. 

Consecration. 
DEVOTION. 

O Heavenly Father, we are Thine. Thy 
service is our supreme joy, Thy Kingdom 



SOUL- WINNING. 



79 



is our delight, her walks our way, and her 
mansions our perpetual home! May we 
ever keep in the heavenly company of thy 
redeemed hosts, where we will praise 
Thee through Jesus Christ, world with- 
out end. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

By consecration to God we more truly 
live than by our daily trades and voca- 
tions. We are redeemed, not by silver 
and gold. We are a peculiar people, not 
eccentric or erratic, but "dead unto sin," 
"alive unto righteousness," "a new crea- 
ture in Jesus Christ," "a royal priest- 
hood," "our brother's keeper." 

What consecration is not: (a) Anxi- 
ety; (b) fault-finding; (c) censorious- 
ness; (d) devotion to party; (e) or 
methods; (f) or traditions. 

What Consecration is: (a) Graces; 
(b) purity; (c) devotion to Christ only, 
i. e., not the only Christians, but Chris- 
tians only; (d) a call; (e) a setting 
about for duty. 

Consecration implies entire willingness, 
assurance, diligence, hospitality, blame- 



80 



SOUL- WINNING. 



lessness, endurance, ministration, bold- 
ness, faithfulness, joy, obedience, char- 
ity, prayer, liberality, meekness, readi- 
ness, knowledge and zeal. 

APPLICATION. 

Christ contemplates every disciple as a 
reformer. " The history of the reform- 
er, whether man or woman, on any line of 
action, is but this: When he sees it all 
alone he is a fanatic; when a good many 
see it, they are enthusiasts; when all see 
it, he is a hero." — Frances E. Willard. 

Then what engagement has a Christian 
that is not comprehended and exercised 
in soul-winning. All the foregoing 
enumerated qualities and qualifications 
enter into this work. Soul-winning is 
fruit-bearing. " Whoni wilt thou live 
for?" 



LESSON IV. OUTLINED. 

Incentives. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Father, how glorious are Thy 
creations. How wondrously Thou dost 



SOUL WINNING. 81 

sustain all with the stimulus of Thy in- 
comprehensible Spirit. Grant that all 
our motives may find their prime and 
ultimate source in the Divine nature. We 
ask for Jesus' sake. 

ELABORATION. 

So many go through a round of eating, 
drinking and sleeping without motive, 
spur, stimulus, incitement or encourage- 
ment, save such as belong to the animal, 
viz., desire for ease and present gratifica- 
tion. 

Fear of punishment and hope of re- 
ward are the two great factors in all 
human activity, and so arises another 
motive, viz., the desire for future grati- 
fication. 

Our incentives are tried and trimmed, 
or new ones are born by our conceptions 
of our responsibility. Here comes in the 
joy of service, which is the complement of 
self-interest, making the wings upon 
which we scale the skies to glory. Rom. 
2:7, " To them that by patience in well- 
doing seek for glory and honour and in- 



82 SO UL - WINNING . 

corruption, eternal life." Here are held 
out three, aye, four things we all should 
seek, the motor power of the civilized 
world, "glory," "honor," "incorrup- 
tion," and God, the righteous Judge, 
rewards with "Eternal Life." Glory 
means high reputation; honor means 
office, position; incorruption means 
purity, soundness. These are attain- 
able conditions on earth. Mark it, 
the necessary complement is, " seek by a 
patient continuance in well doing," and 
thus seeking, whether you succeed or fail 
in securing reputation and office, you will 
certainly have secured incorruption, and 
God will crown you with everlasting suc- 
cess by giving you eternal life. 

APPLICATION. 

The possibilities of man under these 
incentives are absolutely incalculable. 
Let us go down into our bosoms — they are 
ours, our very own — and, however dis- 
agreeable, let us make a careful examin- 
ation, and cast far from us, by the grace of 
God, whatever is ignoble, vicious, or even 



SO UL - WINNING . 83 

questionable in our motives. Let this 
ruling ever ring in the heart and head, 
"By a patient continuance in well- 
doing." 

WHAT DOES IT MATTER? 

* 'It matters little where I was born, 

Or if my parents were rich or poor, 
Whether they shrank from the cold world' s scorn , 

Or walked in the pride of wealth secure ; 
But whether I live an honest man , 

And hold my integrity firm in my clutch , 
I tell you my brother, as plain as I can, 

It matters much ! 

It matters little how long I stay 

In a world of sorrow, sin and care ; 
Whether in youth I am called away, 

Or live till my bones of flesh are bare ; 
But whether I do the best I can 

To soften the weight of adversity ' s touch 
On the faded cheek of my fellow man , 

It matters much ! 

It matters little where be my grave , 

If on the land, or in the sea ; 
By purling, brook, ' * 'neath stormy wave, ' ' 

It matters little or nought to me ; 
But whether the angel of death comes down 

And marks my brow with a loving touch , 
As one that shall wear the victor ' s crown , 

It matters much ! ' ' 



84 SOUL- WINNING . 

LESSON V. OUTLINED. 

Opportunity and Adaptability. 
DEVOTION. 

We thank Thee, O our Father, for the 
myriad points of blessed contact with the 
infinite and the divine. Grant that we 
may ever be watchful and pliable in all 
that pertains to Thy kingdom. We ask 
for Jesus' sake. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

Study the couplet, — 

* 'If you have anything to say, 
True and needed, yea or nay, 
Say it." 

See how Jesus was an eternal example 
in this: (1) His patient obscurity; (2) 
baptism; (3) pointed and apt teaching; 
(4) character of his illustrations; (5) 
woman at the well; (6) Jesus and Peter 
— "Lovest thou me more than these?" 

Wisdom to observe the one (opportu- 
nity) and employ the other (adaptability), 
is a great element of fitness. Paul calls 
it "redeeming the time;" and, if this be 



SOUL- WINNING. 85 

done, every life, however ordinary, will 
be full of testimony and blessing. Adapt- 
ability is a mark of genius, i. e., godlike- 
ness — firm but sympathetic, flexible but 
immovable. "A bruised reed will He not 
break, and a smoking flax will He not 
quench." 

APPLICATION. 

You cannot see the opportunity until 
too late? You can't adapt yourself? You 
have tried? Are you willing to try, try 
again? But you always fail? Are you 
absolutely sure of that? No man know- 
eth; God knows. 

ACCEPTED TIMES. 

There are immortal moments in each life ; 

They come and go — 
One scarce may of their presence know, 
Yet in them there is struck a chord, 
It may be loud, it may be low, 

Of peace or strife, 

Of love or hate , 

Which will vibrate 
Like circles from a pebble's throw, 
Unto the coming of the Lord. 

— A. E. Hamilton. 



86 SOUL- WINNING. 

LESSON VI. OUTLINED. 

Prayer. 
DEVOTION. 

O our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee 
for the happy, holy communion of prayer 
— sweet hour — when Thy Spirit says to 
the troubled waters of our daily toil, "Be 
still." O teach us how to pray Thy will 
— Thy will be done; and to this end may 
we ever abide in Thee. We ask for Jesus' 
sake. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

The prayer of faith is commanded, and 
should always be with obedience and 
without ostentation; with watchfulness 
but not anxiety. Always pray in the 
spirit of prayer, not the clamor of idle 
wants. Commune and give thanks in 
everything, and faint not. 

Inquire — Is what I am going to say 
true? Is it useful? Is it kind? Hin- 
drances: (1) Indulgence in sin; (2) Dim- 
ness of perception; (3) Inordinate cares. 

You cannot reconcile prayer with God's 
immutable law. Law is God's method of 



SOUL- WINNING. 87 

work — -not God nor his work. Without 
God law would fall. Thus government 
and law. In God's law provision is made 
for prayer. You say, yes, a general pro- 
vision. If general, therefore special— 
not violent or contradictory. Comply 
with the conditions and your prayer will 
be answered. 

APPLICATION. 

Commune with God. O how it cheers 
and strengthens! It will give you God- 
like attributes, i. e. 9 courage, wisdom, 
self-denial and love. Pray with and for 
the disobedient. Notice: Prayer will of- 
ten be the key to open the door in the 
obdurate heart for Christ's entrance. 

DELIGHT THYSELF IN GOD. 

Delight thyself in God, 

Raise thou thine eyes above ; 

His heart is yearning o'er thee, 

His bounty lies before thee , 

Take thou thy fill of love. 

The more thy need demands , the more will he 

Extend the scepter of his grace to thee. 

Delight thyself in God, 
And all thou canst require 



88 SOUL -WINNING. 

Shall be to him well -pleasing ; 
So will his love, unceasing, 
Give thee thy heart ' s desire . 
Pressed to his bosom, guided by his eye, 
Thou wilt not ask the things he must deny . 
— Lucy A. Bennett. 



LESSON VII. OUTLINED. 

Personal, Cautions. 

DEVOTION. 

O what is man that Thou art mindful 
of him? Forgive all our over-confidence 
and boastf ulness. O may our words and 
works be forgotten and perish quickly if 
they contradict Thy word and will. O 
sustain us, or we fall and are undone. 
We ask for Jesus' sake. 

ELABORATION AND APPLICATION. 

Say, with Paul, " Let him that thinketh 
he standeth, take heed lest he fall." I 
who have labored for others may be a 
castaway. Am I a hearer only, thus 
building on sand, and deluding myself? 

Do I think myself religious while I bri- 



SOUL -WINNING. 



die not my tongue? Do I commit the 
folly of measuring and comparing my 
character with that of my acquaintances? 
Do I keep myself unspotted from the evil 
in the world, avoiding its very appear- 
ance? Have I been neglecting daily pri- 
vate prayer and Bible reading? Do I 
neglect the appointments of God's house- 
hold? 

Let me never believe what I feel if it 
contradicts God's Word. Never under- 
take a hazardous matter without asking 
God's blessing and guidance. Never take 
my Christianity from Christians, howso- 
ever God may have used them, but from 
Christ. 



SECTION II. EQUIPPED. 



LESSON VIII. OUTLINED. 

Knowledge of the Scriptures. 
DEVOTION. 

We thank Thee, our Father in Heaven, 
for the " sure word " of Thy Prophets and 
Apostles who spake, as commanded, the 
word for the healing of the nations. 
Help us to familiarize ourselves with Thy 
truth. May we never be ashamed of it, 
but defend it now that it may defend us 
both here and hereafter. We ask for 
Jesus' sake. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

Our need — the utility of the canon of 
Scripture — its scope, purpose, power, 
promises, privileges. Search as testimony 
of Jesus and eternal life. Search earn- 
estly, regularly, carefully, humbly, me- 
thodically. It is a library. The rich 
(90) 



SOUL- WINNING. 91 

word of testimony, wisdom, victory, 
prophecy and success. Note: It illu- 
mines, quickens, cleanses and emanci- 
pates. It is a hammer, a two-edged 
sword, a mirror, the soul's food. 

APPLICATION. 

Use the Gospel, God's power unto sal- 
vation, the soul's shield; use as an arsenal 
for the soul-winner. See example of 
Jesus in temptation. In teaching, with 
two disciples on the way to Emmaus. 
Understand difference between the old 
and the new Gospel committed to the 
Apostles. 

Am I blessed in keeping the word of 
the Lord? Do I rejoice therein? Am I 
ready with the soft answer to turn away 
wrath and to give a reason for my faith? 
Do I resist temptation by the power of 
God's word within? Can I win souls by 
being expert with the sword of the Spirit? 

Don't be afraid of " Higher Criticism " 
or the study of " Comparative Relig- 
ions." The World's Parliament of Re- 
ligions demonstrated the superiority of 



92 SO UL - W INNING . 

Christianity and the Christian Scriptures 
over all forms and expressions of faith. 



LESSON IX. OUTLINED. 

Knowledge of Mankind. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Father, may we understand the 
words of our blessed Lord, "Inasmuch 
as thou didst it uuto one of the least of 
these, thou didst it unto me." Help us 
to see Thy image in humanity, though 
marred and effaced. With Thy power 
may we take the yielding stone and place 
thereon Thy image yet again. For Jesus' 
sake. 

ELABORATION. 

Consider the possibilities of a man in 
Jesus Christ, shown in trial, physical, in- 
tellectual and spiritual. 

c 'So near is glory to our dust — so near is 
(jrod to man, 
When duty whispers low 'Thou must,' the 
Youth replies, 'I can. ' 



SO UL - WINNING . 93 

The test comes in sowing and not reap- 
ing, in doing right without reward, in 
cutting off kindred for truth's sake. 

Consanguineous Ties. — If one member 
of the household is joined to Christ and 
His people, ordinarily that member, be it 
boy or girl, wife or husband, is the one 
who can exercise most influence upon the 
other members of the family. Be not 
diffident or procrastinating about exercis- 
ing such influence. If you can save 
them, do so; but if there be such an 
emergency that you must either give up 
your faith and obedience in Christ, in a 
word, your soul's integrity, or your peo- 
ple, your duty is clear. 

Note, if the soul be unconverted it is 
" dead in sin," "condemned," "miser- 
able," "blind," "naked," "mad," 
"an enemy," "hopeless," "deaf," 
"without excuse," "lost!" But if con- 
verted, the antithesis, i. e., "alive," 
" without condemnation," " happy," 
"can hear," "justified," "forgiven," 
"saved!" 



94 SO UL- WINNING . 

APPLICATION. 

"Because others failed, not you, there- 
fore. We live not by what we are, but by 
w T hat we long to be. No one finds a place, 
but makes a place. We find opportuni- 
ties to some extent; it is love that nerves 
us with incessant affirmations. The mo- 
ment we admit the carping, fretful, un- 
charitable words, then we disintegrate 
our force." 

The motor for all right achievement 
lies in an atmosphere of righteousness 
and peace and joy of the Holy Ghost. 
Your object in knowing man is that there 
may be an abundant entrance into His 
Kingdom. 



LESSON X. OUTLINED. 

What Six Is. 

DEVOTION. 

Deliver us, O deliver us by Thy strength 
in the inner man from the committal and 
consequences of sin — that subtle, deceit- 
ful and deadly foe that haunts our every 



SOUL -WINNING. 95 

thought and act. we thank Thee for 
the victory through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Washed in the blood of the Lamb. 
made clean every whit! Blessed be Thy 
wondrous health, forever and forever, 
world without end. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

Sin defined, " Transgression of law," 
1 John 3: 4; "Transgression through 
ignorance," Rom. 10: 3; "Omission of 
duty," Jas. 4: 17; Every one a sinner, 
1 John 1:8; 1 John 5: 19; Gal. 9: 22; 
Devil the author, 1 John 3: 8 and 
John 8: 44; Comes from the heart, 
Matt. 15: 19; Mark 7; 21-23. 

Sin is (a) Rebellion against God. 
Titus 1: 16. (b) Abominable to God. 
Prov. 15: 9. God know r s them all. 
Psalms 69: 5; Psalms 90: 8. Sin is the 
fruit of lust. Jas. 1: 15, and the sting of 
death. 1 Cor. 15: 56. Unbelievers "ex- 
cuse," "love," "meditate upon," "are 
servants of," "throw blame on others," 
"deny their own," "tempt others to sin 
and are dead in sin." Sin leads tore- 



96 SO UL - WINNING . 

morse, shame, afflictions, death. Where- 
ever sin is made light of, palliated and 
condoned, beware! This is a truly deadly 
heresy. 

APPLICATION. 

Believers should depart from all sin, 
avoid the appearance of, be watchful 
against, strive against, not partake of 
others, reprove and rebuke. By God's 
grace this is the sum of our work — to save 
and be saved from sin. Those who trust 
and obey Jesus, are ashamed of past sins, 
shall be forgiven and freed from the 
guilt and power of sin. Sin is sin, and 
one sin of whatever character has in it 
all sin, as the seed has in it the tree. 

SIN. 

Lord, with what care hast thou begirt us round 1 
Parents first season us ; then schoolmasters 

Deliver us to laws ; they send us bound 
To rules of reason , holy messengers : 

Pulpits and Sundays ; sorrow dogging sin ; 

Afflictions sorted, anguish of all sizes ; 
Fine nets and stratagems to catch us in ; 

Bibles laid open ; millions of surprises ; 



SOUL -WINNING. 97 

Blessings beforehand ; ties of gratefulness ; 

The sound of glory in our ears ; 
Without, our shame; within, our consciences; 

Angels and grace ; eternal hopes and fears , 
Yet all these fences , and their whole array , 

One cunning bosom-sin blows quite away, 

— George Herbert, 



LESSON XI. OUTLINED. 

Know Doctrines. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Father, purge our rubbish-filled 
minds, give only Thy teachings and truth. 
May we understand that in Thy kingdom 
our functions are neither legislative nor 
judicial. May we understand the pre- 
cepts and example of our blessed Lord. 
We ask for his sake. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

The true and only apostolic succession 
of our day is to be accounted faithful 
and capable of imparting the doctrines 
of Jesus Christ. Caution. — "For when 

for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye 

7 



98 SOUL-WIXXIXG. 

have need that one teach you again the 
first principles of the oracles of God.** 
Not confounding the "faith which was 
once for all delivered unto the saints " 
with the conflicting notions of men, which 
are as varied as the customs of men and 
as the procession of the centuries. 

" If any man teach a different doctrine 
and consent not to sound words — the 
words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to 
the doctrine which is according to godli- 
ness — he is puffed up, knowing nothing 
but doting about questionings and dis- 
putes of words." (thus the clashing 
creeds of men,) "•whereof cometh envy, 
strife, railings, evil surmisings, wran- 
glings of men, corrupted in mind and be- 
reft of truth, supposing that godliness is 
a way of gain.*' 

It is said that this matter of doctrine is 
a question of interpretation, and every 
man has a right to his own interpretation. 
rning Interpretation, notice — 
Helps. (a) Common sense: (b) Men- 
tal industry: (c) Honest heart; (d) As 
general and thorough an education as 



SOUL- WINNING. 99 

possible. Hindrances. (a) Desire to 
please the world; (b) The Bible the 
property of a select few; (c) Used to 
prove pet doctrines; (d) Bible a book of 
wonders only; (e) Not intended to un- 
derstand; (f) Thirst for distinction. 

Consider the following methods or 
kinds of interpretation : 

/. Mystic Method — from Greek meao, 
" to shut the eyes." (a) Originated in 
mythology and heathendom; (b) Adopted 
by an apostate church to make priests re- 
spected. Objections, (a) Permits and 
fosters superstition and sects; (b) If the 
Bible does not mean what it says, how 
can we know what it does mean? 

II. Hierarchical Metliod — by priests, 
(a) Makes the church the interpreter of 
the Bible; (b) Takes the Bible away 
from the common people. 

III. Rationalistic Metliod — that we 
have reason and no need of revelation. 
(a) Irrational use of reason; (b) All new 
truth at first appears unreasonable; (c) 
This method takes no account of internal 
and historical evidences and testimonies. 



100 



SOUL- WINNING. 



IV. Dogmatic Method — (a) Bests up- 
on scholasticism, i. e., trained men for 
defense of doctrine; (b) a searching for 
special doctrine — ' ' Trinity, " " Transub- 
stantiation," " Total Hereditary Deprav- 
ity," etc.; (c) exalts tradition and specu- 
lations of men to a level with God's word. 

V. Inductive Method, "in ductio " — 
(a) Supposed freedom from bias; (b) 
goes from particular to general; (c) the 
sum of observations and experiences; (d) 
Law, History, Medicine, this method; (e) 
bad tendency to deduce before we suffi- 
ciently induce; (f) uses analysis and syn- 
thesis; (g) this method more than eclec- 
tic — ab initio different — as difference 
between a God revealed and an idol man- 
ufactured. 



APPLICATION. 

2 Tim. 2: 22-25: "But flee youthful 
lusts, and follow after righteousness, 
faith, love, peace, with them that call 
on the Lord out of a pure heart. But 
foolish and ignorant questionings refuse, 
knowing that they gender strifes. And 



SOUL- WINNING. 101 

the Lord's servant must not strive, but be 
gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbear- 
ing, in meekness correcting them that 
oppose themselves. If peradventure God 
may give them repentance unto the 
knowledge of the truth." 

John 7: 16, 17: " Jesus therefore an- 
swered them, and said, My teaching is not 
mine, but his that sent me. If any man 
willeth to do his will, he shall know of 
the teaching, whether it be of God, or 
whether I speak from myself." 



LESSON XII. OUTLINED. 

Judgment. 

DEVOTION. 

We praise Thee, O Lord, that Thou art 
known by the judgment Thou executest. 
Established in Thy righteousness, may we 
ever confess it just. Help us that we may 
understand Thy decrees and be content 
with Thy sovereign Judgeship. We ask 
for Jesus' sake. Amen. 



102 SOUL- WINNING . 

ELABORATION. 

God's judgment is (1) without respect 
of persons; (2) according to deeds; (3) 
according to words; (4) according to the 
thoughts; (5) according to the use of 
entrusted gifts and talents; (6) the words 
spoken by Christ shall judge men. John 
12: 48: "Take heed therefore how ye 
hear." 

Man's judgment. (1) Judge not; (2) 
reflex — as ye judge so shall ye be judged; 
(3) by external appearances; (4) always 
with lack of data — must determine his 
own action — i. e., "Let every man be 
fully persuaded in his own mind." 

APPLICATION. 

We too often arrogate to ourselves 
the prerogative of the Almighty, hence, 
church strife. Withholding judgment 
does not necessarily involve surrender, or 
even compromise principle. " One is our 
Master." Engross this motto on the tab- 
let of your heart and bigotry and conceit 
and vanity and pride will withdraw. 

In treating with those out of Christ, we 



SOUL- WINNING. 103 

reason with them and do not judge them; 
we present Christ to them; they stand 
condemned by their own action if Christ 
is rejected. Take pains and present the 
true Christ ! 



LESSON XIII. OUTLINED. 

Principles of Imparting Faith. 

DEVOTION. 

We thank Thee for the abundant facil- 
ities of our day for teaching Thy truth. 
Grant to us a breadth and depth of prin- 
ciple that shall accomplish Thy will 
among men. For Jesus' sake. 

ELABORATION. 

Man is infinitely honored in being made 
the dwelling-place, custodian and medium 
of divine life. "That which is born of 
the flesh is flesh, and that which is born 
of the Spirit is spirit." 

Principle: (1) Point of sympathy — 
Adapt what is said and done to win the 
soul to that soul's condition and capac- 
ity to grasp. 



104 80 UL - WINNING . 

(2) Take the soul xoitli you — Maintain 
the attention and co-operative industry of 
the soul in its apprehension of, and obe- 
dience to, divine truth. 

(3) Use of illustrations — Familiar, 
easy to be understood ; for both eye and 
ear; the child needs more than the adult. 

(4) Necessity of repetition — So little is 
retained; it must be blow after blow; the 
familiar is enjoyed because it means thor- 
oughness; give the outline of prayer 
again and again and again; the same 
moral precepts viewed again and again 
from all angles. 

APPLICATION. 

By and by you marshal all these apt 
and saving truths that have been driven 
by blow after blow into the very life of 
the soul, and the soul can withstand the 
demands of th£ faith no longer, but yields 
a loving obedience to the Christ, "is 
buried with him by baptism unto death " 
to rise in the new life of the blessed Holy 
Spirit, whereof its tunefulness and fra- 
grance shall make all earth and heaven 
rejoice. 



PART III. 
THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 



LESSON I. OUTLINED. 

The Kingdom as Outlined by Jesus 
Christ in the Gospels. 

DEVOTION. 

We thank Thee, O our Heavenly Father, 
for the glorious vision of the New Jerusa- 
lem — the white four-square city, where 
the power of Thy Spirit, felt, though un- 
seen, extends over all its beneficent sway. 
May we expect, desire and labor for none 
other than that kingdom inaugurated and 
described by Jesus the Lord ! 

ELABORATION. 

The Kingdom obscured because thought 
of as some scholastic ecclesiasticism. Not 
so. John heralded the coming King and 
kingdom — the Christ and His Spirit reign. 
Jesus sets forth in His beatitudes (Matt. 
'5: 3-16 and the like) the character of its 
subjects, and describes the Kingdom in 
the many parables: "It is like" (1) 

Sower; (2) Leaven; (3) Treasure in 

(107) 



108 SOUL- WINNING. 

Field; (4) Mustard Seed; (5) Net Cast 
into the Sea; (6) Marriage of the King's 
Son; (7) Ten Virgins; (8) The Talents, 
etc. ; and is further described in other 
figures as Christ's Household, sheep-fold, 
etc. 

Kingdom and Church synonymously 
used: The word "Church" occurs but 
twice in the Gospels. Matt. 16: 18, "And 
I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, 
and upon this rock I will build my 
Church ; and the gates of Hades shall not 
prevail against it." Matt. 18: 17, "And 
if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the 
Church: and if he refuse to hear the 
Church also, let him be unto thee as the 
Gentile and the publican." The word 
used here as " church," and elsewhere as 
"kingdom," means " assembled," " asso- 
ciated," "realm" and cognate expres- 
sions to cover the various ideas of rt^ler 
and subjects, institutes and ordinances, 
also the Gospel dispensation — the exten- 
sion and general diffusion of the Chris- 
tianity of Christ. 



SOUL- WINNING. 109 

THE SURE FOUNDATION STONE. 

The foolish builders, scribe and priest, 

Reject it with disdain ; 
Yet on this rock the Church shall rest, 

And envy rage in vain . 

What though the gates of Hell withstood, 

Yet must this building rise : 
'Tis thine own work, Almighty God, 

And wondrous in our eyes. 

— Isaac Watts. 

APPLICATION. 

The Kingdom is not, (1) a club of spec- 
ulators in either physics or metaphysics; 
(2) the piously disposed followers of 
fashion; (3) an association of aesthetic 
literary characters; (4) an aggregation 
of self-satisfied religious devotees. The 
Kingdom occupies ground infinitely higher 
and broader and deeper than any one or 
all of these. It is of Divine origin, with 
appointments adapted to bring the entire 
family of man into harmony with the will 
of God, and we are fellow-laborers with 
God. Where do I stand? 



110 SO UL- WINNING . 

LESSON II. OUTLINED. 

The First Christian Church, axd How 
the Apostles Made Disciples. 

DEVOTION. 

We adore Thee, O Thou infinitely lov- 
ing One, for all the provisions for and 
associations of grace. May we faithfully 
follow Him who is the author and finisher 
of our faith until His blessed brother- 
hood girdles the globe. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

The Acts of the Apostles is an exceed- 
ingly important book, especially in this 
connection, as it is the authentic and ac- 
curate history that every soul-winner must 
know in order to build upon the sure 
foundation. 

Read the first and second chapters, and 
especially Acts 2: 41, 42, for the nature 
and essential conditions of church fellow- 
ship and communion: (1) Baptism, im- 
plying faith and repentance; (2) Apos- 
tolic doctrine and teaching; (3) The 
Lord's Supper; (4) Public worship — thus 



SOUL-WINNING. Ill 

enumerated and established for all time. 

Beginning at Jerusalem the Word was 
to go forth (Luke 24: 47). Notice how 
disciples were made (first) on the day of 
Pentecost: (a) Holy Ghost (Acts 2: 33; 
1:4,5,8; 2:4); (b) Peter's work, the 
speaker (Acts 2: 14, 37); Kingdom to be 
set up (Matt. 16: 18; Acts 1:6-8; Dan. 
2: 44; Matt. 3: 2; 4: 17; 10: 7; Luke 
10: 9). 

Conditions of citizenship stated (Acts 
2: 38, 41, 47). Argument in detail as to 
induce faith (Acts 2: 14-36). The peo- 
ple's work (Acts 2: 37, 41, 42, 47). The 
kingdom begins as spoken and promised 
in Daniel and Luke 24: 17. Baptized 
"into His name," i. e., in submission to 
his authority. Continuing the history in 
Acts, see also case of the Samaritan, 
Acts 8: 1-17; eunuch, Acts 8: 25-40; Saul, 
Acts 9: 1-18; 22: 6-16; first Gentiles, Acts 
10: 30-48; Lydia and household, Acts 
16: 13-15; Philippian jailer, Acts 16: 25- 
34; general statements, Acts 11: 20, 21; 
18: 8, and Romans 10: 11-17. 

Miracles in the Early Church. — Pur- 



112 SO UL- WINNING . 

pose (Acts 14: 3; 19: II, 12, and 1 Cor. 
14: 22). Truth once established miracles 
cease (1 John 5: 9, 10; Luke 16: 29-31; 
1 Cor. 12: 30, 31, and 1 Cor. 13). Why, 
then, have miracles (in that sense) ceased? 
Answer: The purpose is accomplished; 
what began in miracle continues by nat- 
ural law, i. e. 9 ordained agencies; thus 
the facts of creation. See Gen. 1: 11, 28. 
In a miraculous way the church is orig- 
inated; the "Gospel" is its means of re- 
production. 

Notice Paul's illustration of the Kings 
dom and its Unity (Eph. 4: 1-16): 

(a) Unity of Headship — "One Lord." 

(b) Unity of belief—" One Faith." 

(c) Unity of obedience — "One Bap- 
tism." 

(d) Unity of hope of eternal life — 
"One hope of your calling." 

(e) Unity of "Spirit in bond of 
peace." 

(f) Unity of organization — "One 
Body." 



SO UL - WINNING . 113 

APPLICATION. 

Beware the tendency toward intoler- 
ance, narrowness, and toward giving local 
coloring and boundaries to the Church, 
destroying thus its beauty, power and 
universality. 

Notice. — We are set for the restoration 
of the faith — its fruits, its ordinances 
and its life — for the Kingdom in its full- 
ness. How do you stand this moment? 

GLORIOUS ZION. 

Glorious things of thee are spoken, 
Zion , city of our God ! 
He whose word cannot be broken , 
Formed thee for His own abode. 
On the Rock of Ages founded, 
What can shake thy sure repose ! 

— John Newton. 



LESSON III. OUTLINED. 

Organization. 

DEVOTION. 

We love Thy Kingdom, O Lora. Grant 
that we may not dread the drudgery of 

detailed duty. We pray Thee that the 

8 



114 SOUL- WINNING . 

agencies and machinery for the evangel- 
ization of the great cities and of the 
world may be forthcoming, and that this 
soul-winners' training-class may contrib- 
ute to this glorious end. To Thee we will 
ascribe all praise, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

ELABORATION. 

The constitutional principle in the life 
of the Kingdom is Love (John 13 : 34, 35 ; 
1 John 4: 7, 8; 1 Tim. 1:5-7: 1 Cor. 13). 
Hence the true purpose and scope of dis- 
cipline and edification is to build up and 
preserve in Love. 

Organization means to give instruments 
or organs of action. Is there a work to 
do? There must be an order of proced- 
ure — a way to do it — "first apostles, then 
evangelists, pastors, teachers." The work 
and its character called for the workers 
and determined their character and 
duties (Acts 6: 3-5). Consider the nature 
of the work of the Kingdom. Is it legis- 
lative? No; Christ gave the constitu- 
tional law, and established the nature of 



SOUL- WINNING. 115 

its precepts and institutes forever. Is it 
judicial? No, certainly not primarily so; 
God is sole Judge. The fruits make man- 
ifest — our lives too short and eyes too 
dim to see all fruit. The final day shall 
reveal all. Christ's word shall judge. 
What, then, is the character of the work? 
It is administrative — "oversee," "feed," 
"serve." Beginning with Love, Faith 
and Hope must follow. We have worked 
from the wrong end. Mark this, it is 
vital and fundamental. Don't think to 
work through Faith and Hope to attain 
Love, but to work through Love to attain 
Faith and Hope. Christ-like service is 
the secret. 

"It is said truly that hundreds of ingeni- 
ous inventions die every year for lack of 
ready hands to seize upon and work them, 
while hundreds more die because, while 
they have been in the course of develop- 
ment, other and better ones have super- 
seded them." The Church has been en- 
deavoring for more than eighteen cen- 
turies to apply the gospel to humanity: 
most ingenious have been many of the 



116 SOUL- WINNING. 

plans and methods. Nature is full of or- 
ganization, and the patent-office is full of 
inventions; and man, as he attains pur- 
poses spiritual, seeks an orderly arrange- 
ment for the expression and execution of 
such purposes. But organizations within 
the Church have multiplied. Certainly. 
"We organize for this, that and the other 
thing, and everything. Of course; and 
just as our thought and purposes intens- 
ify and widen, we will continue. But or- 
ganizations are defective; yes, and so are 
purposes. Now at any given time the 
thing containing the highest, best devel- 
oped and truest purpose will arrive at the 
corresponding least defective organiza- 
tion; they are so essentially correlated. 
Witness foreign missions. Burden the 
Church with the sincere purpose to con- 
vert the heathen, and it finds practical 
issue through organization. As the pur- 
pose grows and is purified and intensified, 
the organization seeks to adjust itself to 
reduce friction and facilitate a practical 
co-operation conformable to the law of 
economy. 



80 UL - WINNING . 117 

• All too defective are our organizations, 
as all too lame and halt are our purposes. 
The battle is by no means won — barely 
begun; let us hold the vantage ground 
and press on. 

APPLICATION. 

Take home to yourself the reasonable- 
ness of the foregoing view, because it is 
set forth in the Scriptures and is conceded 
by the Christian world; in it is the requi- 
site latitude for diversity of talents co- 
existent with the complexities of the 
field, the true unity in diversity. 

ROOM FOR YOU. 

Who shall sweep away the errors 
Crowding on us from the past? 

Who shall clear the mists and shadows 
That the future overcast? 

Soon we busy , teeming millions , 

Will have ended all this strife ; 
And the myriads crowding on us 

Must take up the task of life. 

Ah ! the workers in the vineyard 

Are too faint and all to few ; 
And the field of honest effort 

Ever waits, young friends , for you. 



118 SOUL- WINNING. 

Room for boyhood, strong and sturdy— 
Boyhood manly, brave and true ; 

Room for honest , lusty vigor — 
Room, my young friends — room for you. 

Room for every sweet -voiced singer 
That can thrill the heart with song ; 

Room for thoughts, and words, and actions, 
That will drive the world along. 

— George R. Howarth. 



LESSON V. OUTLINED. 

The Visible and Local Congregation. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Divine Father, accept our praise 
for Thy wondrous economy. Grant that 
Ave may apprehend the things divinely 
practical to the end that now and here 
Thy will may be done and Thy Kingdom 
come in fullness. We ask for Jesus' sake. 

ELABORATION. 

The idea of the Church invisible and 
universal comes from that of the visible 
and local, else intangible and impractica- 



SOUL- WINNING. 119 

ble, and as a matter of fact this statement 
stands unimpeacbed. The officers we 
read of in the New Testament are almost 
entirely for service in the local congrega- 
tion. The desirability and necessity for 
co-operation among local congregations 
gave rise to officers with various func- 
tions; all such retained fellowship in 
some local congregation. The ordinances 
— baptism and the Lord's Supper — are 
not to be conceived as having an invisi- 
ble, universal existence, but on the con- 
trary are dependent upon local congrega- 
tions for their perpetuity. 

One is culpable if being engrossed in 
the work of the local congregation he is 
disloyal to the general co-operation, and 
vice versa, viz., being so engrossed in the 
ultra-spiritualized work of the general 
movement as to be out of harmony with 
the local congregation. No man can be- 
long to an army unless he belongs to a 
company. 

Christians "in the broad," i. e. 9 not 
affiliated with a congregation, are not in 
Christ's fold, but trying some other way. 



120 SO UL - WINNING . 

Christ ordained the local, as also the gen- 
eral, but the latter through the former. 

APPLICATION. 

Many we visit are singularly ethereal 
Christians. Yes, " Christians," but not 
enlisted for duty; soldiers on a strictly 
"peace-footing." What an anomaly. 
How is it with yourself? 



LESSON V. OUTLINED. 

Thixgs Doxe to Build up the Con- 
gregation. 

DEVOTION. 

O our Father, we thank Thee for the 
glorious participation in Thy Cause and 
Kingdom. May we exercise ourselves to 
the salvation of ourselves and those whom 
we may be instrumental in influencing, 
acknowledging and using all the blessed 
means of Grace vouchsafed to us through 
Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory 
and majesty, dominion and power, hence- 
forth and evermore. Amen. 



SOUL- WINNING. 121 

ELABORATION. 

The object of Law is the preservation 
of life. "An ordinance (law) is a rule 
established by authority." — Webster. The 
ordinances are, (1) "Baptism; " (2) 
Lord's Supper; " (3) "Prayer;" (4) 
"Blessing" or "Praise and Thanksgiv- 
ing;" (5) "Teaching;" (6) "Serving;" 
(7) "Giving;" (8) "Showing mercy;" 
(9) "Presiding." Participation of the 
members in public worship is for edifica- 
tion. Read 1 Cor. 14: 26, 33, 40. 

APPLICATION. 

The Sunday-school, Young People's 
Societies, Church Extension Boards, etc., 
with the classes in soul-winning, serve 
some, many, or all of these ordinances, 
as the case may be ; therefore an integral 
part of the Church as a unit, and if con- 
ducted in the spirit of their formation 
are growths, not outside of, distinct from, 
or in any way antagonistic to, the church, 
local or general; but on the contrary are 
parts of an harmonious whole, manifest- 
ing the varied activities of that present 



122 SOUL- WINNING. 

organization which is destined, under its 
divine Founder and Leader to conquer 
the world ! 



LESSON VI. OUTLINED. 

Kelation of Congregations to Each 
Other. 

DEVOTION. 

Especially are we grateful, O Lord, for 
the fellowship of the saints that broadens 
our service and our sympathy. Help us 
in our acts of co-operation and missionary 
enterprises till Thy Kingdom come in the 
hearts of all in blessed fullness. 

ELABORATION. 

I. Older churches planted new ones 
and provided for their instruction: (a) 
Jerusalem Church, Acts 8: 14-17, 25, 40; 
Acts 9: 31, 32; Acts 11: 19-2(3; (b) Anti- 
och Church, Acts 13: 1-5; Acts 14: 23-28; 
Acts 15: 40; 1 Thes. 2: 5-16; Gal. 2: 9. 

II. By means of Committees or dele- 
gates, congregations conferred on matters 



SOUL- WINNING. 123 

of teaching and discipline, Acts 15: 1-6. 

III. Congregations co-operated by 
means of Committees in relieving distress 
in time of famine, Acts 11: 27-30; Acts 
12: 25; 1 Cor. 16: 1-4; 2 Cor. 8: 1-15; 
2 Cor. 9 : 1-5. So carry the Bread of Life 
to all — no foreign country — all earth is 
unalienized. 

IV. Co-operated in supporting evan- 
gelist in starting new work, 2 Cor. 11 : 8-9 ; 
1 Tim. 5: 17-19; Phil. 4: 14-18; 1 Cor. 
16: 15-18. 

V. Co-operation avoids waste, over- 
lapping, the prejudice of ignorance, while 
it fosters and induces economy, promotes 
acquaintance and wisdom, develops pow- 
er, concentrates endeavor and fulfills the 
will and purpose of God in Christ. In 
our day if Protestants and Roman Catho- 
lics were one in Christ, how it would ex- 
alt the Book, the Christ and heavenly 
love! 

How it would dismay and dumbfound 
the devil ! How it would spread the earth 
as the waters of the deep and no man 
could say, "No one careth for my soul." 



124 SO UL - WINNING . 

If as one man we could unite in conduct- 
ing charities, in enforcing law and order, 
suppressing impure literature, and in the 
promotion of temperance to the absolute 
prohibition of the poisonous alcoholic 
beverages, how quickly the jails, work- 
houses and penitentiaries, the hospitals 
and the eleemosynary institutions would 
disappear ! Instead of influencing and sav- 
ing a possible one-fifth of our youth and 
one-fifth of our adult population, to have 
our youth and adult citizenship, knowing 
neither male nor female, not only nom- 
inally, but really Christians, O how it 
would relegate to the limbo of darkness 
and death from whence they spring, the un- 
scrupulous competitions and awful enor- 
ities of so-called respectable businesses 
that now mar and blight all branches of 
civil and religious life ! Why so sure of 
this? Because disciples cannot be united 
until we become "one as I am in the 
Father." This, the sublime, harmonious 
symphony of earth and heaven. 



PART IV. 
DISOBEDIENCE EXAMINED. 



INTRODUCTION. 

While the excuses for declining to obey 
Christ are almost innumerable, neverthe- 
less arrows of truth in the Bible quiver 
are plentiful to pierce them all. 

We come now to the ; 6 ' face-to-face " 
work, when soul wrestles with soul. Only 
those who have been so engaged may 
know the soul-winner's unspeakable pleas- 
ure in seeing the lip quiver, the eye suf- 
fuse with tears and the bosom swell with 
intense emotion as the soul is brought 
into the Kingdom; and as for such soul in 
its obedience, 

' 'Earth has a joy unknown in heaven, 
The new-born joy of sins forgiven! 
Tears of such pure and deep delight, 
O angels, never dimmed your sight. ' ' 

O soul-winner, work in no other spirit 
than God's Holy Spirit! Converse with 
one person at a time and out of hearing 
of others if possible. Seek for serious- 

(127) 



128 SO UL ■ WINNING. 

ness; proceed cautiously; find by judi- 
cious questioning the state of the one out 
of Christ — to what class he belongs and 
what his condition, difficulties, reasons, 
excuses and objections are; then fix your 
mind on his individuality. All the work 
of Jesus Christ, the prophets and apos- 
tles, all your studies in soul-winning are 
to fit you for this occasion. Put into it 
all your intellectual and spiritual vigor. 
(Necessarily from the abridged character 
of this treatise, all shades of disobedi- 
ence cannot be discussed, only outlines 
are attempted.) Seek for the point of 
sympathy and insert the Gospel blade^ 
"For the word of Grod is quick," etc. 
Heb. 4: 13. 



SECTION A. 

The Superficial. 
A vast number belong to this class, and 
so mixed, complicated and conflicting are 
the conditions that we must overcome in- 
difference and superficiality by our earn- 
estness and insight; although a difficulty 



SOUL- WINNING. 129 

appears shallow and slight to you, it may 
be real and serious to the halting one. 

All classes enter into the blessings and 
benedictions of Christianity, although 
many neither confess Christ nor support 
His cause. Such stupidity and ingrati- 
tude would be incredible if it were not so 
common and so patent. 

I. LACK OF DEEP CONVICTION. 

Matt. 13: 5, 6: "And others fell upon 
the rocky places, where they had not 
much earth : and straightway they sprang 
up, because they had no deepness of 
earth : and when the sun was risen, they 
were scorched ; and because they had no 
root they withered away." 

John 1 : 10 : " He was in the world, and 
the world was made by him, and the world 
knew him not." 

Matt. 22: 5: "But they made light of 
it, and went their ways, one to his own 
farm, another to his merchandise." 

II. " STILL A LITTLE SKEPTICAL." 

John 7: 16, 17: "Jesus therefore an- 
swered them, and said, My teaching is not 



130 SOUL- WINNING. 

mine, but his that sent me. If any man 
willeth to do his will, he shall know of 
the teaching, whether it be of God, or 
whether I speak from myself." 

John 20: 31: "Bat these are written 
that ye may believe that Jesus is the 
Christ, the Son of God ; and that believ- 
ing, ye may have life in his name." 

III. " WAIT UNTIL A MORE CONVENIENT 
TIME." 

2 Cor. 6: 1, 2: "And working together 
with him we entreat also that ye receive 
not the grace of God in vain. (For he 
saith, At an acceptable time I hearkened 
unto thee, And in a day of salvation did I 
succour thee ; behold, now is the accept- 
able time; behold, now is the day of sal- 
vation)." 

Heb. 3: 13: "But exhort one another 
day by day, so long as it is called to-day; 
lest any one of you be hardened by the 
deceitfulness of sin." 

Acts 24: 25: "And as he reasoned of 
righteousness, and temperance, and the 
judgment to come, Felix was terrified, 



SOUL- WINNING. 131 

and answered, Go thy way for this time ; 
and when I have a convenient season, I 
will call thee unto me." 

Jas. 4: 13, 14: "Go to now, ye that 
say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into 
this city, and spend a year there, and 
trade and get gain; whereas ye know 
not what shall be on the morrow. What 
is your life? For ye are a vapour, that 
appeareth for a little time, and then van- 
isheth away." 

Jas. 4: 17: "To him therefore that 
knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to 
him it is sin." 

Eccl. 12: 1: "Remember also thy Cre- 
ator in the days of thy youth, or ever the 
evil days come, and the years draw nigh, 
when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure 
in them." 

Prov. 8: 17: "I love them that love 
me; and those that seek me diligently 
shall find me." 

Isa. 55 : 6 : " Seek ye the Lord while he 
may be found, call ye upon him while he 
is near." 

Matt. 24: 44: "Therefore be ye also 






132 SOUL WINNING. 

ready : for in an hour that ye think not 
the Son of man cometh." 

Heb. 3: 15: " While it is said, To-day 
if ye shall hear his voice, harden not your 
hearts, as in the provocation." 

IV. LOVE OF EASE. 

Matt. 10: 38, 39: "And he that doth 
not take his cross and follow after me, is 
not worthy of me. He that findeth his 
life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life 
for my sake shall find it." 

Matt. 19 : 27, 29 : "Then answered Peter 
and said unto him, Lo, we have left all, 
and followed thee; what then shall we 
have? And every one that hath left 
houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, 
or mother, or children or lands, for my 
name's sake, shall receive a hundred fold, 
and shall inherit eternal life." 

V. NOT CALLED YET — WANT SPECIAL SIGN. 

Acts 22: 16: "And now why tarriest 
thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash 
away thy sins, calling on His name." 

Luke 19: 41, 42: "And when he drew 



SO UL- WINNING . 133 

nigh, he saw the city, and wept over it, 
saying, If thou hadst known in this day, 
even thou, the things which belong unto 
peace ! but now they are hid from thine 
eyes." 

Matt. 12: 38, 39: "Then certain of the 
scribes and Pharisees answered him, say- 
ing, Master, we would see a sign from 
thee. But he answered and said unto 
them, An evil and adulterous generation 
seeketh after a sign : and there shall no 
sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah 
the prophet." 

Luke 16: 30, 31: "And he said, Nay, 
father Abraham : but if one go to them 
from the dead, they will repent. And he 
said unto him, If they hear not Moses and 
the prophets, neither will they be per- 
suaded, if one rise from the dead." 

Rom. 1: 16: "For lam not ashamed 
of the gospel : for it is the power of God 
unto salvation to every one that believ- 
eth; to the Jew first and also to the 
Greek." 



134 SOUL- WINNING. 

VI. CONTROVERSIAL SPIRIT. 

Matt. 22 : 15, 23, 34, 35, 41, 42 : " Then 
went the Pharisees, and took counsel how 
they might ensnare him in his talk. On 
that day there came to him Sadducees, 
which say that there is no resurrection. 
But the Pharisees, when they heard that 
he had put the Sadducees to silence, 
gathered themselves together. And one 
of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, 
tempting him. Now while the Pharisees 
were gathered together, Jesus asked them 
a question, saying, What think ye of the 
Christ? whose Son is he? They say unto 
him, The son of David." 

VII. "WONT BELIEVE WHAT I DO NOT 
UNDERSTAND." 

John 3:9: "Nicodemus answered and 
said unto him, How can these things be?" 

John 6 : 52 : " The Jews therefore strove 
with one another, saying, How can this 
man give us his flesh to eat?" 

John 6: 60: "Many therefore of his 
disciples, when they heard this, said, This 
is a hard saying; who can hear it?" 



SOUL- WINNING. 135 

Acts 17: 32: "Now when they heard 
of the resurrection of the dead, some 
mocked; but others said, We will tear 
thee concerning this yet again." 

1 Cor. 2 : 14 : " Now the natural man re- 
ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God : 
for they are foolishness unto him; and he 
cannot know them, because they are spir- 
itually examined." 

2 Cor. 8: 12: "For if the readiness is 
there, it is acceptable according as a man 
hath, not according as he hath not." 

Rom. 10: 8: "But what saith it? The 
word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in 
thy heart : that is the word of faith which 
we preach." 

2 Peter 3: 16: "As also in all his epis- 
tles, speaking in them of these things; 
wherein are some things hard to be un- 
derstood, which the ignorant and unsted- 
fast wrest, as they do also the other 
scriptures, unto their own destruction." 

PRAYER. 

O our Father in heaven, help us a* we 
engage in thy blessed work. May we 



136 SOUL- WINNING . 

have a ready mind and plain speech to 
convince the wavering and move them 
to action; and grant that our work may 
stand the tests of time' and eternity. 
We ask for Jesus' sake. Amen. 



SECTION .B. 

The Apostate. 



There are those open apostates who go 
"out from us, because they are not of 
us." There are those reprobates who are 
still maintaining some sort of a profession 
of religion, but lead wicked lives. There 
are also those who with their religious 
pretensions maintain a fair outward life, 
but are backsliders in heart. It is a most 
sad and unsettled condition — most unac- 
countable excuses and flimsy difficulties 
are presented. Great forbearance and 
patience are required to work with such 
characters, because one feels that as they 
fell away once, they perhaps are subject 
to falls. Remember God's grace is suffi- 
cient for us and for them. 



SOUL- WINNING. 137 

VIII. (1) "CANNOT HOLD OUT." 

Jer. 2: 13: "For my people have com- 
mitted two evils; they have forsaken me, 
the fountain of living waters, and hewed 
them out cisterns, that can hold no 
water." 

1 Cor. 10: 13: "There hath no tempta- 
tion taken you but such as man can bear: 
but God is faithful, who will not suffer 
you to be tempted above that ye are able ; 
but will with the temptation make also 
the way of escape, that ye may be able to 
endure it." 

Eom. 8: 38, 39: "For I am persuaded, 
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, 
nor principalities, nor things present, nor 
things to come, nor powers, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall 
be able to separate us from the love of 
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Mark 4: 18, 19: "And others are they 
that are sown among the thorns; these 
are they that have heard the word, and 
the cares of the world, and the deceitf ill- 
ness of riches, and the lusts of other 



138 SOUL- WINNING . 

things entering in, choke the word, and it 
becometh unfruitful." 

John 10: 27-30: "My sheep hear my 
voice, and I know them, and they follow 
me : And I give unto them eternal life ; 
and they shall never perish, and no one 
shall snatch them out of my hand. My 
Father, which hath given them unto me, 
is greater than all; and no one is able to 
snatch them out of the Father's hand. I 
and the Father are one." 

Kev. 3: 14-17: "And to the angel of 
the church in Laodicea write: These 
things saith the Amen, the faithful and 
true witness, the beginning of the cre- 
ation of God: I know thy works, that 
thou art neither cold nor hot: I would 
thou were cold or hot. So because thou 
art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, 
I will spew thee out of my mouth." 

ix. (2) "tried without success." 

John 8: 12: "Again therefore Jesus 
spake unto them, saying, I am the light 
of the world : he that f olloweth me shall 



SOUL- WINNING. 139 

not walk in the darkness, but shall have 
the light of life." 

1 Peter 4: 19: "Wherefore let them 
also that suffer according to the will of 
God, commit their souls in well-doing 
unto a faithful Creator. ' ' 

Pro v. 14: 14: "The backslider in heart 
shall be filled with his own ways; and a 
good man shall be satisfied from him- 
self. 5 ' 

2 Peter 2: 20, 21: "For if, after they 
have escaped the defilements of the world 
through the knowledge of the Lord and 
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again en- 
tangled therein and overcome, the last 
state is become worse with them than the 
first. For it were better for them not to 
have known the way of righteousness, 
than, after knowing it, to turn back from 
the holy commandment delivered unto 
them." 

Luke 9: 62: "But Jesus said unto 
him, No man, having put his hand to the 
plough, and looking back, is fit for the 
kingdom of God." 



140 SO UL - WINNING . 

X. (3) "INCONSISTENCIES of chris- 
tians.'' 

Jude 12, 13: "These are they who are 
hidden rocks in your love-feasts when 
they feast with you, shepherds that with- 
out fear feed themselves; clouds without 
water, carried along by winds; autumn 
trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked 
up by the roots; wild waves of the sea, 
foaming out their own shame ; wandering 
stars, for whom the blackness of dark- 
ness hath been reserved forever." 

Eom. 14: 4: "Who art thou that judg- 
est the servant of another? to his own 
lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall 
be made to stand; for the Lord hath 
power to make him stand." 

Kom. 14: 12: "So then each one of 
us shall give account of himself to God." 

1 John 3 : 10 : "In this the children of 
God are manifest, and the children of the 
devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness 
is not of God, neither he that loveth not 
his brother." 

John 21 : 21, 22 : "Peter therefore see- 



SOUL -WINNING. 141 

ing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what 
shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, 
If I will that he tarry till I come, what is 
that to thee? follow thou me." 

XI. (4) "TOO GREAT A SINNER." 

Phil. 1:6: "That the fellowship of thy 
faith may become effectual, in the knowl- 
edge of every good thing which is in you, 
unto Christ." 

John 6 : 37 : "All that which the Father 
giveth me shall come unto me; and him 
that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast 
out." 

Isa. 1: 18: "Come, now, and let us 
reason together, saith the Lord: though 
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
white as snow; though they be red like 
crimsom, they shall be as wool." 

1 Peter 2 : 24, 25 : " Who his own self 
bare our sins in his body upon the tree, 
that we, having died unto sins, might live 
unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye 
were healed. For ye were going astray 
like sheep: but are now returned unto 
the Shepherd and Bishop of your soul." 



142 SO UL- WINNING . 

PRAYER. 

O our Father, we thank Thee for all Thy 
blessed promises. Grant that the envi- 
ronment of all may be so surcharged with 
Christian sentiment that our weaker 
brethren may find no occasion of stumb- 
ling. Forgive the hosts of the backsliding 
Israel who come back to Thee from 
wretched wanderings in the wilderness of 
sin. For Jesus' sake. Amen. 



SECTION C. 

The Bewildered. 



Confusion is the occasion of accidents, 
calamities and disasters, and which in 
turn are joined to superstition. It is 
said, "It is better to have no opinion of 
God at all, than such an opinion as is un- 
worthy of Him; for the one is unbelief, 
the other is contumely; and certainly 
superstition is the reproach of Deity." 
However, of two such ills, little practical 
purpose is served by determining (if we 
were able) which' is the greater. Igno- 



SOUL- WINNING. 143 

ranee and false lights entail enslaving 
enormities upon the sons of men, and if 
there be added thereto extreme reverence 
for tradition, progress would be effectu- 
ally blocked. The very best of us are 
only partially enlightened ; each year and 
day adds its quota of light, if so be we 
are ever moving towards that goal in 
which there is fullness of light. 

XII. (1) THE SUPERSTITIOUS. 

Matt. 24: 24, 25 : " For there shall rise 
false Christs, and false prophets, and 
shall show great signs and wonders; so as 
to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 
Behold, I have told you beforehand." 

Acts 17: 22, 23, 25, 29: "And Paul 
stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and 
said, Ye men of Athens, in all things I 
perceive that ye are somewhat supersti- 
tious. For as I passed along, and ob- 
served the objects of your worship, I 
found also an altar with this inscription, 
to an unknown god. What therefore ye 
worship in ignorance, this set I forth unto 
you. He dwelleth not in temples made 



1 44 SO UL - WINNING . 

with hands: neither is he served by men's 
hands, as though he needed anything, 
seeing he himself giveth to all life, and 

breath, and all things: and he made of 
one every nation of men to dwell on all 
the face of the earth. Being then the 
offspring of God, we ought not to think 
that the Godhead is like unto gold, or sil- 
ver, or stone, graven by art and device of 
man.*' 

XIU. (I?) SPIRITUAL BUNDNESS, IGNORANCE. 

Luke 4: IS: " He sent me to proclaim 

release to the captives, the recovering of 
sight to the blind." 

Luke 11 : 84: " The lamp of thy body 
is thine eye: when thine eye is single, thy 
whole body also is full of light: but when 
it is evil, thy body is also full of dark- 
ness." 

1 John 1: 5, 6: "And this is the mes- 
sage which we have heard from him. and 
announce unto you. that God is light, and 
in him is no darkness at all. If we say 
that we have fellowship with him. and 
walk in darkness, we lie. and do not the 
truth." 



SOUL- WINNING. 145 

1 John 2: 4: "He that saith I know 
him, and kecpeth not his commandments, 
is a liar and the truth is not in him." 

2 Peter 3: 8, 9: "But forget not tin- 
one thing, beloved, that one day is with 
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thou- 
sand years as one day. The, Lord is not 
slack concerning his promise, us some 
count slackness ; but is long-suffering to 
you-ward, not wishing that any should 
perish, but that all should come to re- 
pentance." 

John 17: 3: "And this is life eternal, 
that they should know thee, the only true 
God, and him whom thou didst send, 
Jesus Christ." 

Matt. 16: 16: "And Simon Peter an- 
swered and said, Thou art the Christ, the 
Son of the living God." 

XIV. (3) HUMAN TRADITIONS TOO MUCH 
REGABDED. 

Matt. 15: 9: "But in vain do they 
worship me, teaching as their doctrine 
the precepts of men." 

2 Tim. 4: 2, 3: "Preach the Word; be 

10 



146 SOUL- WINNING. 

instant in season, out of season; reprove, 
rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering 
and teaching. For the time will come 
when they will not endure the sound doc- 
trine, but having itching ears, will heap 
to themselves teachers after their own 
lusts; and will turn away their ears from 
the truth, and turn aside unto fables." 

PRAYER. 

O our Father, we thank Thee for the 
" Light of the World." May ignorance, 
and superstition and human vanity no 
more hold sway over our hearts; help us 
to always do those things which are right 
in thy sight, whether or not it meet the 
approval of men. We ask for Jesus' 
sake. Amen 



SECTION D. 

Commending Themselves. 

The human heart is desperately wicked 
and deceitful. No one of the "works of 
the flesh " — " fornication, uncleanness, 



SOUL- WINNING. 147 

lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, 
strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divis- 
ions, heresies, envyings, drunkenness and 
revelings" — but that not only find de- 
votees, but also those who will bring forth 
somewhere something to commend in 
each. 

Rarely, if ever, is the sin, per se 9 com- 
mended; but when the individual is in- 
volved, the apology is forthcoming; such 
is the depth of human depravity as not 
only to commit these things, but to boast 
of them. This disposition to commend 
our practices leads men to fashion God to 
suit themselves — to even manufacture 
gods of their appetites, their avarice, or 
their ambition. 

So common and universal is this ten- 
dency that some contend there is no reve- 
lation of God, ab extra, but that man has 
only idealized the creations of his own 
imagination. 

These self-commending people are es- 
pecially prone to wrest the Scriptures to 
their own destruction. Ignorant of the 



148 SO UL - WINNING . 

righteousness of God, they are zealous in 
establishing their own righteousness. 

Disobedience coming directly or indi- 
rectly from this predisposition is observ- 
able everywhere; intelligent faith alone 
is capable of successfully contending with 
such. 

XV. (1) LOVE OF PRAISE. 

John 12 : 43 : " They loved the glory of 
men more than the glory of God." 

John 5: 44: "How can ye believe 
which receive glory one of another, and 
the glory that cometh from the only God 
ye seek not? " 

Isa. 55: 8: "For my thoughts are not 
as your thoughts, neither are your ways 
my ways, saith the Lord." 

Prov. 16: 25: "There is a way which 
seemeth right unto a man, but the end 
thereof are the ways of death." 

XVI. (2) FEAR OF MAN. 

John 7: 12, 13: "And there was much 
murmuring among the multitudes con- 
cerning him; some said, He is a good 



SOUL- WINNING. 149 

man; others said, Not so, but he leadeth 
the multitude astray. Howbeit no man 
spake openly of him for fear of the 
Jews." 

John 12: 42: "Nevertheless even of 
the rulers many believed on him; but be- 
cause of the Pharisees they did not con- 
fess it, lest they should be put out of the 
synagogue." 

XVII. (3) NOT WILLING TO LEAVE IMPENI- 
TENT ASSOCIATES. 

2 Cor. 6 : 16-18 : "And what agreement 
hath a temple of God with idols? For we 
are a temple of the living God; even as 
God said, I will dwell in them, and walk 
in them; and I will be their God, and 
they shall be my people. Wherefore 
come ye out from among them, and be ye 
separate, saith the Lord, and touch no 
unclean thing; and I will receive you, 
and will be to you a Father, and ye shall 
be to me sons and daughters, saith the 
Lord Almighty." 

Luke 18: 29, 30: "And he said unto 
them, Verily I say unto you, there is no 



1 50 SO UL- WINNING . 

man that hath left house, or wife, or 
brethren, or parents, or children, for the 
kingdom of God's sake, who shall not re- 
ceive manifold more in this time, and in 
the world to come, eternal life." 

Heb. 11 : 24-26 : " By faith Moses, when 
he was grown up, refused to be called the 
son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing 
rather to be evil entreated with the peo- 
ple of God, than to enjoy the pleasure of 
sin for a season; accounting the reproach 
of Christ greater riches than the treas- 
ures of Egypt." 

1 Cor. 7: 16: "For how knowest thou, 
wife, whether thou shalt save thy hus- 
band? Or how knowest thou, O husband, 
whether thou shalt save thy wife? " 

XVIII. (4) DOX'T LIKE THE 3IESSEXGER. 

John 1: 46: "And Nathanael said unto 
him, Can any good thing come out of 
Xazareth? And Philip said unto him, 
Come and see." 

1 Cor. 1: 21: " For seeing that in the 
wisdom of God the world through its wis- 
dom knew not God, it was God's good 



SOUL-WINNING. 151 

pleasure through the foolishness of the 
preaching to save them that believed." 

1 Cor. 2:5: "That your faith should 
not stand in the wisdom of men, but in 
.the power of God." 

XIX. (5) INSINCERITY. 

Rom. 9: 19, 20: "Thou wilt say unto 
me, Why doth he still find fault? for who 
understandeth his will? Nay, but, O man, 
who art thou that repliest against God? 
Shall the thing formed say to him that 
formed it, Why didst thou make me 
thus?" 

Ezek. 18: 25: "Yet ye say, The way 
of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O 
house of Israel; is not my way equal? are 
not your ways unequal? " 

Matt. 21 : 28-31 : "But what think ye? 
A man had two sons; he came to the first, 
and said, Son, go work to-day in the vine- 
yard; and he answered and said, I will 
not; but afterward he repented himself, 
and went. And he came to the second, 
and said likewise; and he answered and 
said, I go, sir; and went not. Whither 



152 SOUL- WINNING . 

of the twain did the will of his father? 
They say, The first. Jesus saith unto 
them, Verily I say unto you, that the 
publicans and the harlots go into the 
kingdom of God before you." 

PRAYER. 

O our Father, help thou our unbelief ! 
May the truth work effectually in us. 
may our efforts to save souls be blessed of 
Thee to the end that many may gladly re- 
ceive and obey Thy word. We ask for 
Jesus' sake. Amen. 



SECTION E. 

Foes Within and Without. 

In the minds of many disobedient there 
is chaos and confusion, and in their 
hearts conflicting emotions and desires. 
They have not made, nor even attempted, 
any clear analysis of their attitude toward 
Christ. The foes of the soul within and 
without persist in their determination to 
neutralize gospel influences, and prevent 



SOUL- WINNING. 153 

the soul from a committal to any definite 
and specific stand. The effort to examine 
into these complex conditions can be pro- 
ductive of good. Persist, then, in prob- 
ing, even if it cause a wince now and 
then. 

XX. (1) TOO MANY THINGS TO GIVE UP. 

Phil. 3:7, 8: "Howbeit what things 
were gain to me, these have I counted 
loss for Christ. Yea, verily, and I count 
all things to be loss for the excellency of 
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." 

Mark 8: 36-38: "For what doth it 
profit a man to gain the whole world, and 
forfeit his life? For what should a man 
give in exchange for his life? For who- 
soever shall be ashamed of me and of my 
words in this adulterous and sinful gener- 
ation, the Son of man also shall be 
ashamed of him, when he cometh in the 
glory of his Father with the holy angels." 

1 Tim. 4: 8: "And exercise thyself 
unto godliness; for bodily exercise is 
profitable for a little; but godliness is 
profitable for all things, having promise 



154 SOUL- WINNING. 

of the life which now is, and of that 
which is to come." 

XXI. (2) PRIDE OF BIRTH. 

Matt. 3: 8, 9: " Bring forth therefore 
fruit worthy of repentance : and think not 
to say within yourselves, We have Abra- 
ham to our father: for I say unto you, 
that God is able of these stones to raise 
up children unto Abraham." 

John 8: 33, 34: "They answered unto 
him, We be Abraham's seed, and have 
never yet been in bondage to any man: 
how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say 
unto you, Every one that committeth sin 
is the bond-servant of sin." 

James 2: 1, 5: "My brethren, hold not 
the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 
Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not 
God choose them that are poor as to the 
world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the 
kingdom which he promised to them that 
love him? " 

Luke 2:7: "And she brought forth 



SOUL- WINNING. 155 

her firstborn son; and she wrapped him 
in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a 
manger, because there was no room for 
him in the inn." 

XXII. (3) TOO SMART. 

Matt. 11: 25: "At that season Jesus 
answered and said, I thank thee, O Fath- 
er, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou 
didst hide these things from the wise and 
understanding, and didst reveal them 
unto babes." 

John 9: 39-41: "And Jesus said, For 
judgment came I into this world, that 
they which see not, may see; and that 
they which see may become blind. Those 
of the Pharisees which were with him 
heard these things, and said unto him, 
Are we also blind? Jesus said unto them, 
If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: 
but now ye say, We see ; your sin remain- 
ed." 

XXIII. (4) LOVE OF THE WORLD. 

2 Tim. 4: 10: "For Demas forsook 
me, having loved this present world." 



156 SOUL- WINNING. 

James 4: 3, 4: "Ye ask and receive 
not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may 
spend it in your pleasures. Ye adulter- 
esses, know ye not that the friendship of 
the world is enmity with God? " 

1 John 2: 15, 16, 17: "Love not the 
world, neither the things that are in the 
world. If any man love the world, 
the love of the Father is not in him. 
For all that is in the world, the lust of the 
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the 
vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but 
is of the world. And the world passeth 
away, and the lusts thereof: but he that 
doeth the will of God abideth forever." 

XXIV. (5) LOVE OF MONEY. 

Luke 16: 13-15: " No servant can serve 
two masters : for either he will hate the 
one and love the other; or else will hold 
to one and despise the other. Ye cannot 
serve God and mammon. And the Phari- 
sees who are lovers of money heard all 
these things, and they scoffed at him. 
And he said unto them, Ye are they that 
justify yourselves in the sight of men; 



80 UL - WINNING . 157 

but God knoweth your hearts: for that 
which is exalted among men is an abom- 
ination in the sight of God." 

1 Tim. 6: 9, 10: "But they that desire 
to be rich fall into a temptation and a 
snare, and many foolish and hurtful lusts, 
such as drown men in destruction and 
perdition. For the love of money is a 
root of all kinds of evil: which some 
reaching after have been led astray from 
the faith and have pierced themselves 
through with many sorrows." 

XXV. (6) CARES OF THE WORLD. 

Luke 10: 40-42: "But Martha was 
cumbered about much serving; and she 
came up to hini and said, Lord, dost thou 
not care that my sister did leave me to 
serve alone? Bid her therefore that she 
help me. But the Lord answered and 
said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art 
anxious and troubled about many things: 
but one thing is needful : for Mary hath 
chosen the good part which shall not be 
taken away from her." 

Matt. 13: 22: "And he that was sown 



158 SO UL- WINNING . 

among the thorns, this is he that heareth 
the word; and the care of the world, and 
the deceitfulness of riches, choke the 
word, and he becometh unfruitful. 

xxvi. (7) dox't want sins exposed. 

Jno. 3: 19-21: "And this is the judg- 
ment, that the light is come into the 
world, and men love the darkness rather 
than the light; for their deeds were evil. 
For every one that doeth ill hateth the 
light, and cometh not to the light, lest 
his works should be reproved. But he 
that doeth the truth cometh to the light, 
that his works may be made manifest, 
that they have been wrought in Grod." 

Prov. 28: 13: "He that covereth his 
transgressions shall not prosper; but 
whoso confesseth and forsaketh them 
shall obtain mercy." 

XXVII. (8) MURMURING SPIRIT. 

Matt. 25: 24, 25, 29: "And he also that 
had received the one talent came and said, 
Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard 
man, reaping where thou didst not sow, 



SO UL - WINNING . 159 

and gathering where thou didst not scat- 
ter: and I was afraid, and went away and 
hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast 
thine own. For unto every one that hath 
shall be given, and he shall have abun- 
dance; but from him that hath not, even 
that which he hath shall be taken away." 

PRAYER. 

Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee 
for Thy providence that saves and sus- 
tains. O grant that our souls may ever be 
upon their guard and the vigil-fires be 
lighted throughout the world, and we shall 
have victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 



SECTION F. 

The Self-Righteous. 

You have often heard those who refuse 
to accept Christ urge, "I never did any 
thing bad." "I mean well." "I am 
good enough and better than a good many 
of the so-called Christians." "I don't 
think as you do." "Everybody has a 



160 SOUL- WINNING. 

right to his own opinion." "I believe I 
am right and am doing my best to be 
saved." " I worship the God of nature, 
and believe I will get to heaven." " It is 
not necessary to be a church-member to 
be saved." " I can go to heaven without 
being baptized." "There are so many 
denominations, I guess I am as near right 
as any of you, anyhow." 

A prodigious and indefinite amount of 
sophistry, hypocrisy, bigotry, incompe- 
tency, irrelevancy and iniquity can be run 
in under expressions like the above. 
These self-righteous and self-sufficient, 
so-called "good, moral people," are 
legion in number, but may generally be 
sifted down into a struggle between self 
and Christ. 

O, if the soul would save itself, let it 
rind Christ and throw away self, " the old 
man of sin ! " 

XXVIII. (1) don't want to confess 

CHRIST. 

Mark 8 : 35 : " For whosoever shall save 
his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall 



SOUL-WINNING. 161 

lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's 
shall save it." 

Rom. 10: 9, 10: " Because if thou shalt 
confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and 
shalt believe in thy heart that God raised 
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved, 
for with the heart man believeth unto 
righteousness; and with the mouth con- 
fession is made unto salvation." 

Matt. 10: 32, 33: " Every one there- 
fore who shall confess me before men, 
him will I also confess before my Father 
which is in heaven. But whosoever shall 
deny me before men, him will I also deny 
before my Father which is in heaven." 

Jno. 14: 6: "Jesus saith unto him, I 
am the way and the truth and the life : no 
one cometh unto the Father, but by me." 

Acts 4 : 12 : "And in none other is there 
salvation : for neither is there any other 
name under heaven, that is given among 
men, wherein we must be saved." 

1 Jno. 5: 12: "He that hath the Son 

hath the life; he that hath not the Son 

of God hath not the life." 
11 



162 SOUL- WINNING. 

XXIX. (2) don't want to be baptized. 

Mark 16: 16: "He that believeth and 
is baptized shall be saved: but he that 
disbelieveth shall be condemned." 

Matt. 7: 21, 22: "Not every one that 
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that 
doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven. Many will say to me in that 
day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by 
thy name, and by thy name cast out dev- 
ils, and by thy name do many mighty 
works?" 

Jno. 15: 10, 11: "If ye keep my com- 
mandments ye shall abide in my love, 
even as I have kept my Father's com- 
mandments, and abide in his love. These 
things have I spoken unto you, that my 
joy may be in you, and that your joy may 
be fulfilled." * 

Acts 2: 38: "And Peter said unto 
them, Repent ye, and be baptized every 
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 
unto the remission of your sins; and ye 
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." 



SOUL -WINNING. 163 

Kom. 6: 4: "We were buried there- 
fore with him through baptism into death : 
that like as Christ was raised from the 
dead through the glory of the Father, so 
we also might walk in newness of life." 

PRAYER. 

O our Father, we thank Thee for Thy 
great love. Grant that we may cheer- 
fully follow these heaven-ordained ordi- 
nances; preserve them in their purity for 
us and our posterity, and not for us only, 
but for all who will receive them. We 
ask for Jesus' sake. Amen. 



SECTION G. 

Many Infallible Proofs for Unbe- 
lievers. 

There must be infallible proof of the 
truth of Christianity, because it is a relig- 
ion of fact, not an expression of opinion. 
It was not done in an instant in some 
corner of the world, but claims to be an 
evolution of 6,000 years' duration, enacted 



164 SOUL- WINNING. 

in the light places on every continent. 
Thus assuming an historic form, it chal- 
lenges investigation; indeed, any attempt 
to hedge it about, while its devotees de- 
mand an unquestioning faith, is to remove 
its facts into the region of the shadowy, 
mysterious and unreal. 

Each person, in some more or less in- 
dependent way, should get at the histor- 
ical facts and subject his faith to certain 
tests, in order that he be not a victim of 
fraud, mistake or superstition; thus can 
he have an open-eyed confidence and a 
boldness that is not bigotry. 

Of course, in this section we can only 
outline a consideration of evidences, with 
the hope that such outline may be instru- 
mental in assisting many to see their duty 
of obedience to Christ, and seeing, per- 
form; as, however, the soul may see and 
yet not obey, so also the soul, through 
ignorance or perversity, may not see, yet 
the duty to obey remains. 

You ask, How can this be? Notice, 
one's responsibility is measured by his 
opportunity to know what his duty is; 



SOUL- WINNING. 165 

hence, the legal maxim, "Every man is 
presumed to know the law — ignorance is 
no excuse." 

Industry and honesty cannot fail to lead 
the inquirer into the way of eternal life ; 
these qualifications are humanity's two 
wings whereupon to rise to heaven ; lose 
either, and the soul falls into sin or super- 
stition. 

XXX. (1) THEORIES OF INFIDELITY. 

The sum of our faith is in Jesus Christ ; 
he is the Alpha and the Omega of revela- 
tion — all time is focalized in him. His 
energies have wrought wonders in every 
land. "Jesus Hominum Salvator " is the 
universal creed of Christendom, — simple 
enough for a child, profound enough for 
a sage. 

The real battle of infidelity rages around 
Jesus, for he is the " Gibraltar of Chris- 
tian Evidences." If Christ was not as 
claimed and represented, infidels are 
called upon to account for him. 



166 SOUL- WINNING . 

I. IMPOSTURE. 

In an earlier age infidels who would 
not admit the claims of Jesus, reasoned 
that, whatever he was, he was no fool — he 
understood himself — he was an impostor. 
This theory is not accepted even by in- 
fidels in our day. Paine said, " He was a 
virtuous and amiable man." Ingersoll 
said, "For the man Christ I have the 
highest admiration and respect." 

Could an impostor have (1) lived the 
purest life known to history? (2) In- 
augurated a religion of beneficence and 
sublimity? 

II. SELF-DECEPTION. 

It is put forward by some infidels, as 
an explanation of Jesus, that he was self- 
deceived, that he imagined certain things 
of himself — was a fanatic, self-deluded, a 
visionary, a wild enthusiast. This theory 
is also denied by other infidels. Says 
one: "He was gifted with a grand, clear 
intellect, a perfectly balanced being." 
Kenan said: "He represented the rare 
spectacle of a life, so far as we can esti- 



SOUL- WINNING. 167 

mate it, uniformly noble and consistent 
with his own lofty principles." 

Jesus could not have been self -deceived, 
because of, (1) His practical precepts; 
(2) No taint of superstition appears in 
him; (3) He never magnified one truth at 
the expense of any other; (4) He was not 
deceived in either his disciples or others; 
(5) He never erred in judgment; (6) He 
taught men to control their religious en- 
thusiasm, to think and to reflect. 

III. NATURALISTIC. 

The theory has been advanced that 
Jesus was not such an extraordinary man, 
after all, but a natural product, and that 
his disciples misunderstood, magnified 
and misrepresented his doings. "Jesus 
did not walk on the lake, but simply on 
the shores of the lake — but the eyes of 
the disciples deceived them. The eyes of 
the blind were healed by an efficacious 
eye-salve, but the minutiaz of the cure was 
not perceived by the disciples ; that Jesus 
raised Lazarus and others, but only from 
a swoon," etc., etc. 



168 SOUL- WINNING. 

This theory is in turn denied by other 
infidels. Strauss said: "This effort to 
get rid of the supernatural by a bold, 
realistic interpretation of the language of 
the Gospel narratives, whilst the credibil- 
ity was represented in tact, w^as too glar- 
ing an outrage upon common sense to be 
successful." 

This notion cannot be true: (1) It 
makes more difficulties than it solves; 
(2) The disciples themselves were too in- 
credulous and slow of belief; (3) It 
would not comport with the teachings of 
Jesus; (4) Jesus especially guarded this 
point. 

IV. MYTHICAL. 

This theory, held by some infidels, is to 
the effect that round about Jesus are 
woven allegories, and fabulous statements 
of imaginary actions, etc. 

This theory has not been generally ap- 
proved by infidels. Chevalier Bunsen 
said: "The idea of men writing mythic 
histories between the time of Livy and 
Tacitus, and of Paul mistaking such for 



SO UL - WINNING . 1 69 

realities!" "How can accounts which 
are circumstantially correct in geography, 
chronology, etc., be resolved into myths?" 
It is much easier to believe in Jesus 
than to believe that anyone could have 
conceived and worked off such allegories 
under the circumstances. Again, con- 
temporaneous history will not warrant 
such an assumption. 

V. LEGENDARY. 

This theory admits the early origin, au- 
thenticity and general veracity of the Gos- 
pel narrative, but that there was added 
an unreality of the miraculous — that 
Jesus consented to "play a part," disa- 
greeable and distasteful, however; that 
his miracles were "a violence done him 
by his age — a concession which a pressing 
necessity wrestled from him, and so he 
entered on a course of mild and beneficent 
deception." 

A most remarkable theory this, and 
other infidels will not accept such a self- 
contradictory hypothesis. Holy fraud ! 
forsooth ! 

This theory cannot stand, because, (1) 



170 SOUL- WINNING. 

Of the overwhelming evidence of the 
transcendent excellence of Jesus; (2) His 
attitude towards his disciples and the 
world was as leader, not as follower. 

VI. ECLECTIC. 

This theory is a combination of all the 
others, using here a little of one, and 
there some of the other. It maintains 
that Christianity is now superstition, now 
ignorance, now a fraud; that this is an 
allegory, and that a legend. So far short 
does this come from accounting for Jesus 
that it only confuses, beclouds and mysti- 
fies. It leaves us to wander in the night 
of agnosticism, closing all avenues of the 
soul to Him who is the " Light of the 
world." 

PRAYER. 

O our Heavenly Father, save us from 
the rank presumption that denies a high 
purpose and destiny for mankind, that 
denies the revelation Thou hast made of 
Thy will, and that involves us in the chaos 
and ruin of infidelity. O, as we prove the 
spirits, whether they be of Thee, may we 



SOUL- WINNING. 171 

not, in repudiating the counterfeit, cast 
off the true also. May we believe the ev- 
idence which Thou hast given of the true 
character of Thy only begotten Son, and 
confess that " Jesus Christ is come in the 
flesh." Help us in the power of Thy 
might to overcome the world with our 
great faith. We ask for Jesus' sake. 
Amen. 

XXXI. (2) INTERNAL EVIDENCES. 

The barest outline of evidence can be 
attempted here. The student is recom- 
mended, if possible, to pursue this line of 
study further; a number of good text 
books on Christian Evidences can be fur- 
nished by almost any bookseller. 

By "internal evidences" of the truth 
of Christianity, we look at Christianity, as 
presented in the canon of the Scriptures, 
to see what marks of credibility, genuine- 
ness and authenticity it carries with itself. 
Notice, then: 

I. PROPHECY. 

"A miracle of knowledge," used to pro- 
mote hope and faith. The prophecies of 



172 SOUL- WINNING . 

Scripture are marked by, (1) worthy 
ends; (2) unambiguous language; (3) no 
failures of fulfillment; (4) a record pre- 
served. 

On the contrary, fraudulent prophecies 
and heathen oracles are, (1) unworthy; 
(2) ambiguous; (3) marked by failures; 
(4) leave no records. 

(a) Old Testament Prophecies. — (1) 
Concerning the prosperity and adversity 
of the Israelites themselves; (2) the 
neighboring nations, as Tyre, Nineveh, 
Babylon, Egypt, etc.; (3) of the coming 
Messiah, his character, purposes and 
events in his life. 

(b) New Testament Prophecies and 
Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecies. 
— (1) Of the Jewish nation, siege, dis- 
persion, unity, and peculiarities; (2) the 
life of Christ; (3) the prophecies of 
Christ, the destruction of Jerusalem, the 
inauguration and progress of the King- 
dom of God. 

The fulfillment of these prophecies is 
an ever-present miracle, testifying with 
over-powering weight to the genuineness, 



SOUL- WINNING. 173 

authenticity and credibility of the Chris- 
tian Scriptures. 

II. MIRACLES. 

"Manifestations of superhuman power 
give authority to God's messengers," and 
are calculated to produce faith and 
obedience. 

As contrasted with spurious miracles, 
Scriptural miracles are, (1) for important 
worthy purposes; (2) instantaneous and 
public; (3) sensible and easy to observe; 
(4) well authenticated. 

III. HISTORICAL CONSIDERATION. 

Notice the evidences afforded by the 
volume itself of, (1) the time covered; 
(2) the places mentioned; (3) the events 
narrated; (4) the character of the wri- 
ters, as having an adequate knowledge of 
what they relate; (5) the remarkable 
preservation of the writings ; the Hebrew 
and Greek languages uniquely fitted for 
this purpose; (6) the range of the Old 
and New Testament in these points pre- 
sent a most remarkable unity in diversity 
— a marvelous harmony without collusion. 



1 74 SO UL - WINNING . 

This wonderful library of religious his- 
tory contains within itself overwhelming 
evidence of being genuine, authentic and 
credible. 

IV. CHARACTER OF JESUS. 

The character of Jesus lends greatest 
weight to the credibility of Christianity; 
from his evident nature Jesus was with- 
out flaw. "I, having examined him be- 
fore you, found no fault in this man." 
" Tempted, yet without sin." "No guile 
in his mouth." "Spake as never a man 
spake." "Teacher come from God, for 
no man can do these signs that thou 
doest, except God be with him." He 
was approved of God "by might, powers 
and wonders and signs, which God did by 
him in the midst of you, even as ye your- 
selves know." He was unjustly crucified; 
his judge said, "Behold, nothing worthy 
of death hath been done by him." He 
was raised from the dead, "nor did his 
flesh see corruption. This Jesus did God 
raise up, whereof we all are witnesses." 
He suffered and rose again from the dead, 



SO UL- WINNING . 175 

"and that repentance and remission of 
sins should be preached unto all nations, 
beginning from Jerusalem, ye are wit- 
nesses." His sympathies were with the 
poor, afflicted and down-trodden; all his 
life was consistent with these pure princi- 
ples and holy purposes. 

His was a revelation of the will of God 
perfected in man — a Divine human life — 
a perfect man ! 

V. THE CHARACTER ELECTED FOR HIS DIS- 
CIPLES. 

No ostentatious almsgiving or prayers ; 
no sanctimonious hypocrisy or meaning- 
less ceremony; but meekness and purity, 
love of enemies, unfeigned fraternity. 
"Be perfect as your Father in heaven is 
perfect." "Except a man be born from 
above, he cannot see the kingdom of God, 
. . that which is born of the flesh is 
flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit 
is spirit." 

This feature of Christianity is abso- 
lutely unique. No religious faith, either 
adapted from Christianity or claiming 



176 SOUL- WINNING. 

originality, presents this remarkable as- 
pect. 

The sublimity of the elect Christian 
character is one of the strongest evidences 
of the credibility and genuineness of 
Christianity. 

XXXII. (3) EXTERNAL EVIDENCES. 

No one can reasonably deny, a p?*iori 9 
that the all-wise and all-powerful God 
can not only reveal his will, but can give 
to men a full and certain assurance that 
it is a true revelation. 

I. THE NECESSITY. 

The necessity for such revelation is ap- 
parent, because, (1) The ancient concep- 
tions of the nature and the worship of 
God were dark, imperfect and monstrous; 
(2) Ignorance of the true genesis of the 
world; (3) Ignorance of the cause of de- 
pravity and misery among mankind; (4) 
Ignorance of the means of reconciliation 
between God and man; (5) There was no 
assurance of divine assistance towards 
the attainment and the perseverance in 
virtue; (6) No solid foundation for be- 



SOUL- WINNING. 177 

lief in the soul's immortality; (7) No ad- 
equate conception of the supreme felicity 
of man; (8) Only confused and monstrous 
notions concerning the rewards and pun- 
ishments of a future state. 

Christianity answers all these needs 
with absolute satisfaction. 

II. CONTEMPORANEOUS HISTORY 

Of Egyptian, Persian, Grecian and Ro- 
man life, where common points are 
touched, corroborates the Bible accounts. 

The excavation of ancient ruins — coins, 
medals, monuments, etc., together with 
the reading of the symbolic languages of 
the ancients, give additional testimony to 
the accuracy, veracity and reliability of 
the Scriptures. 

(a) The Jews. — The Jews, the city of 
Jerusalem, and the entire land of Pales- 
tine, from Christ's time till to-day, are 
mute and reluctant, but most remarkable 
witnesses of the credibility and authen- 
ticity of the Bible, (b) Falsehood De- 
tected. — There is a moral certainty that 

Jewish leaders, such as Gamaliel and 

12 



178 SOUL- WINNING. 

Saul, would have detected and exposed 
falsehood and fraud concerning Jesus 
and the resurrection had such existed. 
(c) Monuments. — The ordinances insti- 
tuted (baptism and the Lord's Supper) 
to perpetuate the principal facts and 
events of Christian^— observed to this 
day — are strong evidences of authenticity. 

III. COMPARATIVE RELIGION. 

The evidence of Christianity's divine 
origin and authority, as contrasted with 
other religions having admixtures of 
error and superstitions, is shown in, (1) 
Christianity's perfect concepts and pre- 
cepts; (2) Its openness; (3) Its adapta- 
tion to the conditions and capacities of 
all mankind; (4) The spirituality of its 
worship; (5) Its opposition to the spirit 
of the world; (6) Its humiliation of man 
and exaltation of God; (7) Its restoration 
of order to the world; (8) Its contrariety 
to the covetousness and ambition of man; 
(9) Its eradication of evil passions from 
the heart; (10) Its restoring the divine 
image to man; (11) Its mighty effects in 
the governments of the world. 



SOUL-WINNING. 179 

A CONVERTED LAWYER. 

Tertullian, a converted lawyer, and 
called "the father of Latin Christianity," 
born A. D. 160, says in his able defense 
of the Christians, under the charge of be- 
ing traitors to Rome, "That piety, vener- 
ation and loyalty, therefore, which is due 
emperors, does not consist in the fore- 
mentioned shows of duty, which even re- 
bellion cloaks herself in, to pass undis- 
covered ; but in such virtues as civil soci- 
ety finds necessary to be practiced sin- 
cerely towards prince and people. Nor 
are these actions of a virtuous mind look- 
ed upon by us as a tribute due to Caesar 
only; for we have no respect of persons 
in doing good, because by so doing we do 
good to ourselves, who catch at no ap- 
plause or reward from men, but from God 
only, who keeps a faithful register of our 
good works, and has ample rewards in 
store for this universal charity; for we 
have the same good wishes for emperors 
as for our nearest friends. To wish ill, 
to do ill, to speak ill, or to think ill of 
any one, we are equally forbidden without 



180 SOUL- WINNING, 

exception. What is injustice to an em- 
peror, is injustice to his slave; and that 
which is unlawful against the meanest, is 
so against the greatest." And again, in 
defending the Christians against persecu- 
tions, Tertullian says: " But your reason 
is so entirely blinded with prejudice that 
you have not an eye left to see the public 
damage — a damage as visibly great as 
true. Not a man weighs what the com- 
mon injury amounts to by thus depopu- 
lating the empire of the most just and in- 
nocent subjects in it; it is hardly credible 
to imagine how many Christian prisoners 
your judges destroy at every goal deliv- 
ery, but only their trials are upon record. 
fc 'Among all this number of criminals, 
and this variety of indictments, what 
Christians do you find arraigned for assas- 
sinating, or for pickpockets, or for sacri- 
lege, or for pilfering at the bath? Do 
you hear at the trials any article against 
Christians like that which other malefac- 
tors are charged withal? Do not the 
prisons sweat with your criminals contin- 
ually? Do not the mines continually 



SOUL- WINNING. 181 

groan with the load of heathens? Are 
not your wild beasts fattened with hea- 
thens? And is not the whole herd of 
condemned wretches, which some public 
4 benefactors ' keep alive for the enter- 
tainment of the amphitheater — are not 
they all of your religion? 

"Now, among all these malefactors, 
there is not a Christian to be found for 
any crime but that of his name only; or if 
there be, we disown him for a Christian. 

"We, then, are the only harmless peo- 
ple among you, and where is the wonder, 
if it cannot well be otherwise? as in 
truth it cannot, considering our educa- 
tion; for the innocence we are taught,, we 
are taught from God, and we know our 
lesson perfectly well, as being revealed to 
us by the Master of all perfection, and we 
observe it faithfully as the command of 
an All-seeing Lawgiver, whom we know 
is not to be despised, but at the hazard 
of eternal happiness. Whereas, your sys- 
tems of doctrine are but the conjectures 
of human philosophy, and the power 
which commands obedience, merely hu- 



182 SOUL- WINNING. 

man; and so neither the rule nor the 
power indisputable, and consequently the 
one too imperfect to instruct us fully, and 
the other too weak to command us effect- 
ually, both which (deficiencies) are abund- 
antly provided for by revelation from 
God. 

"Where is the philosopher who can so 
clearly demonstrate the true good as to 
fix the notion beyond dispute? And 
what human power is able to reach the 
conscience and bring down that notion 
into practice? For human wisdom is as 
subject to error as human power is to 
contempt. 

"Therefore, let us enter a little more 
into a comparison between your laws and 
ours. Tell me, then, which do you take 
to be the fullest and completest law, that 
which says thou shalt do no murder, or 
that which resists the very passion of an- 
ger? Which expresses greatest purity and 
perfection, the law which prohibits the 
outward act of adultery, or that which 
condemns the bare lust of the eye? 
Which is the wisest provision for inno- 



SO UL - WINNING . 183 

cence, to forbid evil doing, or not to per- 
mit so much as evil speaking? Which is 
the most instructing lesson for the good 
of mankind, to debar men from doing in- 
jury, or not so much as to allow the 
injured person the common privilege of 
returning evil for evil? 

"But this is not all, for I must give 
you to understand that these very laws of 
yours, which are but in the way to per- 
fection, are no more in good truth than a 
transcript of the old law of God, older by 
much than any law of your making; but 
I have already laid before you the an- 
tiquity of Moses." 

Thus far the reliable Tertullian and in 
view of the history intervening, and of 
the remarkable fact that seven-eighths of 
the world's territory is to-day under 
Christian governmental control, who can 
doubt that our "faith is the victory that 
overcomes the world." 

PRAYER. 

O our Father, hasten the day when ani- 
mosities and wars and corruptions in 



:54 :~- ~ri::yi: 

high and low pla ss shaD lis&ppear, and 
all shall ^line in CL our 

Lord, to whom be glory and honor and 
W : d i without end. Amen. 















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